Raising boys to become men is a parenting task, I take pride in and enjoy. I’m sharing 16 things I want my 16-year-old teen boys to know before they become adults. This includes teaching them how to shave and why using Gillette® SkinGuard is important for their sensitive skin. “This post has been sponsored by Gillette. All thoughts and opinions are my own.”
Life Skills | 16 Things I Want My 16-Year-Old Teen Boys To Know
As a father of three boys, a lot is resting on my shoulders to raise my boys to be responsible citizens. I want to raise a potentially good boyfriend, husband, and future father. And although putting in the work of being a good role model doesn’t always ensure success, it is essential. The twins recently turned 16 and are currently knocking on the door of manhood. Today, I’m sharing my list of 16 things I want my 16-year-old teen boys to know as they prepare for adulthood.
1. Teaching My Sons How To Shave
I have sensitive skin, and it isn’t fun. Ever since I hit puberty, the skin on my face has betrayed me one way or another. It hasn’t been fun. Nope, not even a little bit. As the boys turn into young adults, they have hair growing on their handsome teenage faces by some freakish miracle of nature. It is important to teach them the proper way to shave and tips to ensure they have a positive shaving experience by giving them helpful tips to prevent irritation, discomfort, and how to get a close shave with sensitive skin.
Following These Steps Will Help Your Sensitive Skin
Wash Your Face
Having a clean face is a great start to any shaving regimen. Wash with a quality skin cleaner formulated to remove dirt, grime, oil, and whatever else that doesn’t belong on the face just before shaving. Holding a hot wet towel to your face for a few minutes will help soften the hair follicles and make your shave smoother and a whole lot close. For those with sensitive skin, that’s a huge plus.
What You’re Shaving With Matters
Choosing the right tools is a biggie, and Gillette’s new men’s razor, Gillette® SkinGuard, is a great shaving tool to keep in your shaving kit. Why? Well, the two-blade Gillette SkinGuard has lubrication that shields skin from irritation during the shave, and the razor is set close together to prevent skin from getting pinched or trapped in-between the blades.
The new SkinGuard can be purchased at your local retailer; check your preferred retailer for savings.
Lathering Up
A good shave gel can do wonders for men with sensitive skin. A solid shave gel will create a barrier between your skin and the sharp razor blade, and that’s just what the dermatologist ordered. A shave gel like Pure by Gillette, free from alcohol, dyes, parabens, and sulfates, is a great one to try!
Give Your Face Good Stuff To Drink
For those with sensitive skin, the simple act of shaving is equal to a very traumatic experience, but putting the wrong moisturizer on your just-shaved face is like throwing gasoline on your face and expecting it to have no ill effects. When it comes to shaving, it is best to rinse your face with cool water and apply a moisturizer immediately while your face has a bit of water on the skin. A good moisturizer should help close your pores, trap moisture, and create a barrier to keep harmful things like dirt and all sorts of nasty elements from irritating your sensitive skin.
For years, I have struggled and tried many products to no avail. When you have sensitive skin, you have two options when it comes to shaving. The first option, don’t shave. The second option, shave, but don’t you dare attempt a close shave because the moment you press that razor against your sensitive skin, it is going to be in a whole lot of agony.
Gillette® SkinGuard is the first razor designed for men with sensitive skin and/or dealing with razor bumps. This razor was specifically designed to shave hair and protect a man’s skin because it has a unique SkinGuard positioned between the two blades. This is an improved razor design, which goes a long way to help minimize tugging and pulling the skin, and it helps prevent irritation.
Things I Want My 16-Year-Old Teen Boys To Know
Training to be a responsible adult starts at home because home is where the die is cast, and the first lessons are given, learned, and value is found in the mundane tasks of taking care of a home.
2. Make Your Bed. To some, it may sound trivial, but making your bed every morning sets into a stone discipline—to create order in the straightening of the fitted sheet, top sheet, blankets, and pillows.
3. Brushing Your Teeth & Good Hygiene. Good oral care is a biggie, and so far, our boys are cavity-free. Their respective pearly whites are, well, pearly white. And having good hygiene is the gift that keeps on giving.
4. Mind Your Manners. Good manners matter. Saying please and thank you seems to be a lost art. Being polite, respectful, and saying “Yes ma’am” and “Yes, sir” is important because it is the building block of respecting others. It’s that fundamental and simple, thank you very much.
5. Do Your Chores. Assigning our boys chores isn’t a bad thing; on a very basic level, it’s all about building a work ethic that will hopefully serve them well in the years to come.
6. Managing Your Money. You can never start teaching your kids about money early enough. The earlier, the better. Teaching your kids how to manage their money is probably the most important skill set you can pass along to your kids. How to save, set financial goals, separate purchasing a need versus want, and paying bills. Delayed gratification is the name for managing your money game.
7. How To Use A Debit Card. The twins opened up their first checking account last summer, giving them their first debit card. As a dad, I’m working with them to help them manage their money, learn how to use their debit card responsibly, check the balance, be aware of potential fraud, and learn how to use it in-store and online.
8. Life After High School. We started this conversation years ago with the boys, but now it’s an almost everyday topic in the Worthey household. I want our boys to focus on what they want to do after high school. Of course, Tatanisha and I want them to go to a 4-year college, but they will have to ultimately decide that first big step mostly on their own with lots of unsolicited advice from us.
9. Start College Tours. One of the twins has already decided he wants to be a Pediatric Dentist. We’ve started the conversations about what colleges he is considering, medical school, and everything involved in getting accepted into college. We’re planning to start touring colleges in the fall.
10. The Basics. Doing laundry, ironing, and taking care of a household are skills our boys have been working on in the last few years. But as they inch closer to adulthood, we’re ramping their household responsibilities to make sure they are ready for living on their own.
11. How To Drive A Car. I don’t know if we’re ready for this one, but it’s happening whether we like it or not. The boys will start Driver’s Training this spring, and recently I’ve begun working with them and teaching them the basics of driving a car, changing the tires, and fundamental car care.
12. Be Respectful. If there’s one thing I want to get right with my boys, it’s this: be respectful. Treat women with respect, treat other human beings with respect, and treat yourself with respect.
13. Dating & Relationships. We’ve already gone through a few heartbreaks with our boys, but it’s been a learning experience. I want to role model a healthy relationship for my boys, and I hope they are fortunate to find the same love I have one day. We talk about what’s appropriate when dating, when to date, who to date, and maintaining healthy relationships.
14. Online Life. I didn’t grow up in the age of social media and the internet, but it’s something we talk about all the time with our boys. Being appropriate online includes sharing photos, not talking to strangers, not giving out their personal information to random strangers online or to anyone for that matter, only playing video games with people they know, and not going into chat rooms without our consent, etc.
15. Getting A Job. We’re working on the process of how to apply for a job (resumes, cover letters, etc.), what to expect, work ethic, and work environment. The boys are excited about upcoming work opportunities, and I look forward to seeing them go through this important experience.
16. Travel. Seeing the world has so many important values, and we want our boys to travel, learn, and appreciate and value all cultures.
Raising my boys to be successful and respectful men is my top priority. I enjoy being able to teach them the life lessons that were taught to me by previous generations. Knowing they are still in the learning stages of young adulthood, including learning how to shave, I trust only Gillette to handle this important job.
Leave a Reply