I’m a little bit sun burnt from yesterday and already I’ve had a few disapproving comments that I wasn’t careful enough with sunscreen. I did make sure both girls were wearing sunscreen and I was wearing sunscreen myself I just happened to miss a few sections, namely my backside.
You can tell exactly how much of my bottom my bathing suit covers. It’s my back and upper thighs that are burnt. I don’t however think it’s as bad as people make it out to seem. I certainly don't think it's enough to question or critisize my approach to sun protection. It’s the first sunburn I’ve had in years and it’s not even a particularly severe burn.
To be honest I don’t like to wear sunscreen and I only do under certain conditions. I’m a little on the fence about sunscreen use. I worry about the environmental impact of sunscreens, the health impact of so much chemical exposure and the lack of scientific evidence either for or against sunscreen.
That’s not to say I’m not sun smart or that I don’t protect myself. An entire day spent at the beach is one of those few days that I do use sunscreen. That or any other time that I will be out all day. Normally I simply avoid being outside when the sun is at its hottest, I always wear a hat and try to stay in the shade as much as possible.
I regularly check the local UV report and base the amount of time I spend outside on it. I normally would have also brought beach umbrellas with us for a beach day but it was rather last minute planning and I forgot to bring them.
Many people may not agree with it but for me and my family it’s the right approach. I’ve been encouraged by our pediatrician that there is nothing wrong with how I deal with sun exposure and like everything else in life I simply try to balance things out. I’m a strong believer that very little is actually bad for you when balanced right.
I do believe there is such a thing as too much sun but I also believe there is such a thing as too little.
It still bothers me a bit that people can be so judgmental about such little things, as if I am doing something abhorrent by not slathering my kids in sunscreen constantly. I’ve done my research and have made my decision to use sunscreen as little as possible on many different factors.
If someone else decides that my approach to sunscreen or anything else for that matter isn’t right for them I’m not going to try and convince them that they are wrong. I respect their decisions are right for them even if they are not right for me and they should do the same. We don’t need to agree on what’s right for our individual selves, we should simply live and let live.
