But in those days, no one had 4 different types and strengths of sunscreen at the ready. Instead, the bravest of us basted ourselves with baby oil for that golden brown look. Except golden brown always turned red a lot faster than we expected. And soon it became a tradition that the first day of summer would be spent getting the sunburn of a lifetime and the rest of the week meant chills, aloe, and a lot of time laying face down, crying in agony. It was a summer ritual in our house, one I'm sure my mother gritted her teeth through each and every year.
And because she cursed me so many times with a daughter just like me, I too get to experience the joy of the first week of summer. Because this year, this child neglected to inform me that she had her swimsuit on when she went to her friend's house, and she didn't get 4 types of sunblock applied to the stark white sections of her body. And she wore a swimsuit that has different lines that her normal standbys. Next year, on the first day of summer, remind me to coat all of them the second they get out of bed. . .
Poor thing. Even the burn relief spray is agonizing for her.
4 comments:
Ouch, poor thing!! That looks very painful!!
Oh my gosh...OH MY GOSH...can you borrow some tea bags from some one? Just steep the tea, let it get room temperature, put a square of paper towel in the tea, lay it on her burn and let it dry. Do this until it covers the burn, however many paper towels it takes. It pulls the burn out and provides surprising relief. This is what we did in the midwest growing up...oh my gosh....poor baby...
As an aside, when my very very fair son, Eric, was going to the pool with me a few summers ago, I asked him how long he could sit outside before he burned. He said, "I don't get red exactly, it's more like I just spontaneously burst into flames."
Oh, I am so sorry, that looks so painful! I can relate, I am beyond fair so I fry in the shade. And I passed this on to 4 of my 7 kidlets, the lucky bugs. And we won't even talk about the sunburn my baby boy got on his on his little face and head the first nice spring day we had here. I suck as a mother sometimes. I think I own stock in sunscreen these days. Not that I always remember to slather it on any of us, but I make sure to buy it by the truckload and fill my cupboards with it!
Ouch! How did we survive our childhoods?? I, for one, just went with the straight Johnson's Baby Oil. My Dad always told me that I was going to look like an old Indian woman by the time I was 40 yeas old. What wouldn't we do for a tan??
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