*This is a sponsored post paid for by Mirium. All opinions are my own.**
Dude 1 got his first job the summer after his freshman year of high school.
I remember dressing him up in his “fancy clothes” aka khakis and a short sleeve button up shirt, and getting him a haircut before his interview.
Pretty sure I was ten times more nervous about it than he was.
But, I made sure to do my mom checklist before we left:
Teeth brushed?
Yep.
Face washed?
Yep.
Deodorant?
Ugh, Mom, yesssss.
Lemme smell.
It was and is to this day our get-ready-for-something-important ritual.
Because I want everyone who meets my Dudes to think they are as amazing as I do, and leaving a positive impression is hard to do when the person you’re supposed to be impressing is occupied with trying to figure out a way to get away from you and your smelly pit funk when they should be listening to all of the great ways you’re going to make their Italian ice shop a better place.
Fortunately, he passed my smell test that day, got hired for the job, and has been handing out Italian ice’s with a smile for almost two years now.
That’s one of the fun things about being a mom to teenagers -there are so many first to look forward to.
It’s almost like the baby days when you were awaiting their first smiles, their first teeth, their first foods, and their first steps. Only with way more attitude. And less likelihood that you will wind up with poop on your hands.
Everything is fresh and fun and new and exciting.
And you get to be on this journey of self discovery with them where they are learning all of these new skills (like driving), and having all of these new experiences (like dances and dates and job interviews).
It’s pretty overwhelming for everyone involved.
Real footage of me watching my teenager do all of the things…
And by everyone, I guess I just mean me.
To keep myself from breaking down repeatedly, I try to focus on things I can manage: like keeping him feed well, dressed nicely, and smelling like a king.
Axe has been a part of this process for us for years.
In fact, I remember buying him his first Axe gift bag and the resultant smell of body spray that permeated his bedroom for months afterward (listen, how much body spray to use based on the size of one’s body is like next level science, okay, and it takes months of practice to get it just right).
He will be turning 17 in less than a week and, while I know he’s probably all set on taking care of the basics like body odor, I appreciate that he still lets me be involved when it comes to the big things
You can help your dudes prep for their big first with Axe from Walmart.