About this time last year, Mason started having these inexplicable rashes. Usually, they would happen after soccer practice, so I thought maybe he was having some sort of allergy to grass or perhaps to the chemicals used on the grass at the park where he practiced. They would usually go away on their own, so I didn't worry too much about it. But soon, he started having the rashes at other times, like after taking a warm bath or during a nap. I also noticed that the rashes were getting worse: affecting more of his body, lasting longer and occurring more frequently. Then one day, after he'd been at school for maybe an hour, I got a call from the school director saying he was completely covered in a rash and to come pick him up right away. When I got to the school, he had a rash covering almost his entire face, neck and trunk. I decided it was time to get him to the doctor.
By the time we were able to get an appointment 2 hours later, the rash was gone and there was no sign of it covering almost his whole body just hours before. I decided to see the doctor anyway to discuss the symptoms and to get a note saying it was okay for Mason to be back at school. The doctor agreed that it sounded like hives, which generally show up as an allergic reaction of some sort. He suggested we start giving him a daily dose of an over-the-counter antihistamine as a preventative measure. We started the medicine, and his rashes cleared up for the most part. He would still sometimes get the hives, but it they weren't real severe or widespread.
The doctor had suggested we try taking him off the anti-histamine after the seasons changed to see if it was an environmental allergy. Since it had been a while since Mason had experienced any rashes, I was really hoping it was an environmental allergy so he wouldn't have to take medication daily for an undetermined amount of time. Over his winter break from school, I took him off his antihistamine, but his rashes started right back up again. What was worse, once I started giving him the medicine again, it didn't seem to give as much relief as it had before. About a month later, we were having to give benadryl on top of the daily medicine so frequently that I decided it was time to see an allergist to figure something else out.
We finally got him into an allergist. I described his symptoms to the doctor, then the doctor took a tongue depressor and traced the letters "M-A-S-O-N" on Mason's arm. We kept talking for a few minutes about how Mason had responded to the OTC medication, why I thought it wasn't working as well any more and about Mason's medical history in general. Then about five minutes after "writing" Mason's name on his arm, the doctor pulled back Mason's sleeve to reveal that he had whelts which spelled out "MASON". The doctor told me it was the strongest reaction he had ever seen, then gave us a diagnosis: Dermatographia. He prescribed another antihistamine for Mason to take, and assured us it was a very manageable illness.
During this period of intermittent outbreaks of hives, Mason had begun to refuse to wear underwear as it was a frequent inducer of the rashes. In fact, at several different times, he had scratched himself to the point of breaking the skin where his underwear would rub against his skin (at the waist and leg openings). When the allergist finally told us what was wrong, he said, "That is why his underwear is bothering him so much -- his skin is treating underwear like an allergen. It must be very uncomfortable for him."
Mason said to the doctor, "It hurts when I wear underwear. Do I have to wear it?"
The doctor replied, "No, buddy. You don't have to wear underwear."
So now I have a kid who basically refuses to wear underwear. We have gone to pretty great lengths to provide the most comfortable underwear possible -- all cotton boxers with fabric completely covering the elastic waistband, which, by the way, are ridiculously hard to find in XS. What's more, he hasn't had any hives since he started his new medication nearly six months ago. Yet, the kid has decided that he hates underwear and just doesn't want to wear them. Any time I have pushed the issue, he has reminded me that the doctor said he doesn't have to wear any underwear.
I decided it's not that important since it's not like he's wearing dresses or something where someone could see his private business, and stopped fighting him on it. If underwear make him uncomfortable, I know plenty of grown ups who don't wear underwear either. No big deal. The problem is, it is a big deal to Landon. It became an even bigger deal a couple of weeks ago when Mason ripped a hole in the crotch of his pants, and we didn't realize until we were at Costco putting him into the cart when we got a clear shot of his junk. Nothing like flashing your five year old's penis all over Costco on a Sunday afternoon, right?
After our child's penis-flashing incident at the store, Landon and I started talking about whether or not we should require Mason to wear underwear. I told Landon that I encourage it, but that I ultimately let it be up to Mason. Landon told me that he thinks it shouldn't be optional because we ought to be teaching Mason about social norms. We decided to have a poll on Facebook with our friends and relatives to see what "social norms" are with underwear-wearing habits for five year olds. Once the results were in, nearly everyone who "voted" agreed with me that it's good to encourage the wearing of underwear, but forcing the issue is unnecessary. So, Landon conceded and I have continued on with encouraging but not requiring the wearing of underwear.
Today, when I picked Mason up from school, he had a hole in the crotch of the pants he was wearing (which were different pants than before, and were definitely hole-free when I took him to school this morning). His teacher noticed it when she was helping him into his carseat. I was rather embarrassed since I figured she probably got to see Mason's private business, and apologized profusely. She waved it off (because she has probably seen tons of junk in her years as a preschool teacher), and I headed home with the kids. I asked Mason, "How did you get that hole in the crotch of your pants?"
Mason responded, "I don't know."
I asked again, "Mason, what were you doing to rip a big hole in the crotch of your pants?"
Then Mason said, "I put the hole there for my penis could come out."
And that, my friends, is when I decided that forcing the kid to wear underwear might not be such a bad idea after all. ;)
New chapter. New post. New playlist.
3 years ago
