Sunscreen

Sunscreen and I have an interesting relationship. On the one hand, I am fully aware of the value of sunscreen and the dangers of melanoma. I get that I should wear sunscreen, and I accept this fact. If I know I'm going to be out in the blazing sun for a whole day or even an afternoon, I will put on sunscreen. I don't gripe about it, I just do it. It's what you're supposed to to to protect yourself from prolonged exposure, so I do so.

On the other hand, I have had quite a few adventures with a lack of sunscreen. In one case, I ended up with a farmer's tan because I didn't reapply the sunscreen when hanging out with a friend. In another, I ended up with a sunburn on the inside of my knees because I almost covered every part of my body, but didn't quite manage to do so. Essentially, I'm not meticulous about the process, oftentimes with hilarious results.

If I'm really honest, I think part of that is because I don't really like the process of applying the sunscreen. It can leave your hands and face feeling somewhat sticky if the sunscreen has a residue, and it involves taking off my glasses and rubbing stuff all over my face. It just feels a bit more bothersome than I would prefer. I'm not saying that this is why I forget to wear sunscreen sometimes (see the story about the farmer's tan above), but I have to imagine that my subconscious aversion to the process isn't helping matters any.

The Mild Wife, on the other hand, is quite good about wearing sunscreen. In fact, I know this because she is often the one who reminds me that I should apply some before we head out. I always reply with a semi-surprised realization that I should, in fact, wear sunscreen, and then apply some. The end result is that I am protected, but we have both come to realize that I am not the biggest fan of the process.

Still, the Mild Wife is a problem solver, so she did a bit of research into this. Don't ask me what prompted this or how one even goes about searching for solutions to this conundrum, but she did. And the solution was hilarious.

You see, this is apparently more of a problem with young kids. They sometimes don't like putting it on, so parents have to find a way to simplify the process or make it more palatable to them. As the Mild Wife would later tell me, amidst several chortles, she came across a chart that asked how reluctant your child was. The extreme end of the scale was the "baby" end, where babies wanted to part of this. The implication was that as children matured, they became more familiar with the process, and the older kids needed less hand-holding. It's the same basic approach to toothpaste: toddlers get toothpaste they can literally swallow in order to make the process work okay, and older kids don't need special toothpaste because they've learned how the process works.

So, as the Mild Wife laughed her head off while measuring me on the baby-to-older kid scale of sunscreen application, she came across an application process meant to make things simple: a stick. It's not a cream or a goop, it's like a stick of deodorant:

Notice the brand name

That is clearly meant for a munchkin. Hell, the brand includes "Baby" in the name. Still, this particular item has the bonus of being ridiculously easy to apply. You turn the knob at the bottom to expose some (again, think of a deodorant stick), then you rub it on your skin. That's it. No goops, no having to rub it in and wait for it to set, nothing. You just apply, and then you go.

So, the Mild Wife decided this was perfect for me. I'm not going to lie, this was a genius idea. If it weren't for the fact that the package was tiny, this would be perfect for me. I rub some on, I leave the house. I can live with it being intended for a different audience if it checks all of the boxes that I want. Sure, there will likely be all sorts of giggling every time the sunscreen makes an appearance, but it works for me. I will happily accept the accompanying giggling.

Apparently, I like the applicator for baby sunscreen. I certainly didn't see that coming, but life's full of curve balls like that.