I grew up with lots of scorching summer sunburn. I hope my kids never do
A personal reflection on the shift in attitudes toward sun safety and skin cancer prevention between the author's childhood and the present day. The piece highlights the difficulty of applying sunscreen to children while emphasizing the necessity of UV protection.
Why it matters
Public health awareness regarding skin cancer has significantly changed parenting norms and health behaviors over the last few decades.
“MUM, WHAT’S IT like to be really, properly sunburnt?” asked my kids as we all melted in the shade of the recent heatwave. Their question stopped me in my tracks, because when I was a child, sunburn was a regular occurrence.
Cast your mind back to your own childhood summers. I’m willing to bet you got the skin burned off yourself more than once.
Being really honest, it probably happened every summer, and unless you were on your holidays, the likelihood of your parents religiously slapping sun cream on either themselves or you was rare.
1983 Tropical Blend Tanning Oil Ad. Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo
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