Boys will be boys

“Mum, did you see my catch?” You did. You also saw him wipe his face on his sleeve just before he took it. Now there’s a brown streak across one cheek, and he’s asking if there’s anything to eat. As far as your son is concerned, it’s been a very good afternoon.

It’s later, when he pulls his cricket shirt over his head, that you hear about the collar. “It was scratching me the whole time.” You ask why he didn’t say something at the ground. He looks genuinely puzzled. “But I was fielding.”

That’s a fair answer. A ten-year-old has other things on his mind at practice. And ten is a good age to give him a little say in how he looks after his skin. He can learn where to put sunscreen before he goes out, what to do about a shirt that rubs, and how to get comfortable again when he comes home. Most of what he needs is already in the house.

While he’s getting ready

If your son plays outdoors, you may have noticed how much more sun his forearms get than the skin under his sleeves. It’s easy to remember sunscreen on a beach holiday. An ordinary Tuesday at the cricket ground deserves the same care, even if he spends half the session waiting for his turn to bat.

Give him time to put it on while he’s getting dressed, about fifteen minutes before he heads outside. Choose a broad-spectrum, water-resistant sunscreen of SPF 30 or higher and help him cover exposed skin generously. Hand him the bottle and let him do the parts he can reach. The tops of his ears and the back of his neck are easy to miss. If he wears shorts, remember his legs too.

For a long afternoon outdoors, keep the bottle handy. Reapply every two hours and after heavy sweating or towelling off, following the directions on the pack. If you’re watching from the boundary, put your own sunscreen on alongside him. It makes for a much shorter conversation when you have two pairs of ears to do.

What’s making that spot itch?

Children can be quite precise about what’s uncomfortable if you give them a moment. “My shirt is itchy” might mean the label at the neck. It might mean the same little patch under one arm every time he bowls. Ask him to show you where. Sometimes you can find the rough seam with your own fingers.

Have a look at the fit, too. The arm guard you bought at the start of term may already feel tight. Get him to put it on and bend his elbow the way he does when he bats. He can tell you more in that one movement than he can standing still in the kitchen.

On a hot day, sweat held against the skin can leave him feeling prickly. A break in the shade and a change out of damp clothes can help him cool down. If a rash keeps returning or still bothers him once he’s cooled down, ask his paediatrician about it.

What does he need in the shower?

For a younger player, a gentle body wash labelled for his age, clean water and a towel are plenty. The wash helps lift the sweat and grime that collect under a collar or behind a shin guard. It’s worth explaining that bit once. A child who understands why he’s washing his shins is more likely to remember them tomorrow.

Let the water loosen any dried mud first. Then he can work a little wash between wet hands, gently wash the sweaty areas and rinse it off. Feet deserve a turn, especially after an afternoon in thick cricket socks. A clean towel and something dry to wear finish the job.

Give him some room to work out the details. One child likes to take his time under the shower. Another wants to be back at the table before his sister finishes the last dosa. Either can manage a good wash. If the bottle comes home untouched, ask how he got on with it. A flip-top he can open with wet hands might solve the whole business.

When he wants a bottle of his own

An older teen who showers at the club may want to keep his own wash in his kit. For an 18- or 19-year-old, one option is Body Wash for Athletic Body, a 200 ml rinse-off wash made for use after exercise. It contains Epsom salt and hydrolysed oat protein. Its everyday job is simple. After a sweaty session, he can wash, rinse and pull on a fresh shirt before heading home.

That particular bottle is labelled for adults. If you have two boys of different ages sharing a bathroom shelf, let the younger one choose a wash suited to his age. Give each bottle a spot they can reach. It saves having to answer “Which one’s mine?” from the other end of the house.

And on tuition days?

Some afternoons there’s just enough time between practice and tuition to eat a banana and find the right notebook. This is when a spare T-shirt earns its place in the bag. Fold it near the top, with a small bag for the damp kit. He can change in private at the ground and have his shower when he gets home.

Ask him where he’d like to keep the spare. He’s the one who has to find it in a busy changing room. And if he’d rather pack the faded blue T-shirt with the number peeling off the back, let him. There’s a reason it’s the one he reaches for on Sundays.

Back home, he can empty the damp clothes straight into the wash and hang up his towel. While he’s doing that, you might finally get to ask about the catch. Was it as difficult as it looked from where you were standing?

Apparently it was considerably more difficult. He needs both hands and most of the hallway to show you.