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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Grace Hoffman

'I refused to let my son come home without showering - he says I'm obsessive'

A mum has sparked a huge debate online after she didn't want to let her 14-year-old son come home after he refused to shower.

The woman has been slammed as "obsessive" by her ex-husband after she refused to let the child return home.

However, she stands by her decision of having the strict measure in place to ensure the safety of her daughter - who has a severe peanut allergy.

Taking to popular forum site Reddit, the woman admitted that she makes those who are in the presence of her daughter have tip-top hygiene to reduce a reaction.

She explained: "I have a son (14M) with my ex-husband, as well as a daughter (12F) with my current partner. My daughter has one of the most severe peanut allergies her doctors have ever seen."

The teenager refused to shower for a second time (stock photo) (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

The woman went on: "To give you an idea, someone touching a peanut, touching someone else, that person touching a surface, and then my daughter touching that surface would cause a reaction, and has before.

"Because of this, we have to take precautions beyond what's normal for a peanut allergy. We can't eat out, we deep clean the house frequently, and any guests have to wash their hands when they come over and avoid touching stuff. It's a lot and I can understand my son being frustrated, but the issue at hand has to do with his father's house.

"My son also has two young half-brothers at his father's house, who unsurprisingly eat a lot of peanut butter and the like. Obviously, we can't police what another house does, but it does mean my son has to take additional measures to keep his sister safe.

"Chiefly, he has to shower immediately before leaving to go to my house, otherwise, he could have contamination. This is because as I said just him being in that house and then touching things could cause a reaction for his sister.

"He didn't do that last week, he showered, but only the morning of, several hours before I picked him up. He refused to shower again, so I couldn't bring him and had to leave him at his father's."

The mother went on: "Now his father is accusing me of favouritism, and claims I'm abandoning my son. He also said I'm being obsessive."

Since sharing her thread online, the woman's post has raked in over 1,900 comments to date - where people assured her that her actions weren't unreasonable.

One person wrote: "It's a shower? A small thing that could keep someone out of the hospital. Many people shower every day anyway so it's as simple as timing it around that. Not the a**hole."

"This is a DEADLY allergy. Her son having to shower isn't a major hardship and frankly, he is being very selfish," a second agreed.

Someone suggested an alternative solution for the daughter: "You should try to get a service dog for her. I've read about another child who is extremely sensitive like your daughter and she was able to get a peanut-sniffing dog."

Do you have a story? We want to hear it! Get in touch at grace.hoffman@reachplc.com

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