Alpha Boy Got Sunburned

by Eathan

Alpha Boy is out of school for the summer.? The first item on his agenda was to spend the day at Hurricane Harbor (local water park).? He decided to go with his cousins and uncle to have some fun in the sun.? At the end of the day he text me to say that he was sun burned.? I laughed because I have warned him over the last few years about wearing sun block.? But evidently he has tossed that advice to the back of his mind.? So I called to him about summer skin care.

I’m a bit irritated that his mother or uncle didn’t give him sun block.? I realize that the other side of his family is white.? And most white people (those with 1/2 a brain cell)? keep sun block handy when they are spending the day in the sun.? But why isn’t someone in his group warning him that he’s starting to look sun burned 1/2 through the day?? So I discussed who is responsible for him having the necessary supplies when he goes to the lake, pool or the water park.? And we both decided that he’s old enough to take care of himself.

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Alpha Boy always jokes about black people not getting sun burned.? Of course we both know that’s not true.? I get sun burned, his Grandy gets sun burned, and many other of our dark skinned friends get sun burned.? The one thing I’m trying to impress on him is the importance of taking care of his skin.? I’ve warned him in 20 years he could end up looking like an old crispy raisin that spent too much time roasting.? He laughed, but he also got the point.

So after spending all day in the sun, he will spend the next few days itching, peeling and hurting.? Hopefully this will be a lesson that he will remember for the rest of the summer.? It will only take 2 minutes to put on sun block, but the protection will last.? As a bit of a distraction I told him if he had any kind game with the girls, he would have one of them rub it on his back.? Of course that peaked his interest.? So I decided to buy him a bottle of sun block and make it his responsibility to keep up with it.? If he can keep up with his ‘Sidekick”, then he can keep up with his SPF 40 sunblock.

The big question is, is there a sun block that works best for bi-racial skin?? I know if I had a choice, I’d use Bull Frog before I even dreamed about using anything else.? But is choosing sun screen/sun block products like choosing hair products?

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Tagged as: alpha boy, Biracial kids, Parenting

Article by Eathan

Life long interracial dater and father of two.  Currently resides in Dallas and socially active in the DFW area.  You can connect with Eathan on Twitter and Facebook.

Eathan has written 539 awesome articles.

  • Sweeeet
    I got 2nd degree burns after an hour and a half in the sun. It didn't show up until about 5 hours later and the doctor asked me how long I'd fallen asleep for. That was in 1982 and I haven't been in the sun without at least 45 spf on since. I call myself a whiter shade of pale!

    Make him soak in a tub of white vinegar. It takes the sting out and keeps peeling to a minimum. Straight aloe vera will help too but the smell of the vinegar will make anyone never forget their sunblock again!
  • First, in defense of the white relatives. . .many times a sunburn does not even begin to show until it's too late. I myself am so fair skinned that I make Gwyneth Paltrow look like a sista'. . .yet for some reason, I do not show a HINT of color until 4-5 hours after the fact. This has led to many a *lobster* moment for me, including but not limited to: my High School Graduation and the weddings of several friends. Not exactly a Kodak Moment.

    Second, yes, bullfrog is great. Anything with Zinc Oxide that's waterproof. The trick is a) apply EARLY (1 hour b/f exposure) and b) LIBERALLY (tops of ears, hairline, feet, etc). . .I usually make my biracial beauties strip naked, rub 'em down w/ sunblock, THEN put on the swimsuits. That way it has about 1 hour in the car to soak in before they touch the water or see the sun. They're only ages two and three, but they've survived many a trip to the beaches of Brazil and Mexico without a burn yet. . .we'll see how they do in Abu Dhabi!

    PROPS to you on making skincare a priority.

    <abbr>expatsinglemamas last blog post..Free at last free at last, thank God almighty I?m</abbr>
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