I would like kind and considerate thoughts on this please..
So, my two dc have a friend who lives nearby and is a lovely, happy, clever 10 yr old child. My dc and this child all go to the same primary school and play a lot in and out of the school. I know the childs parents quite well as i used to work for the same company as one of them, but we are not friends as such. They are both professional middle class people.
My dc has told me that they don't want this child coming round to our house anymore because they smell bad. My dc is a considerate friend and did not say this to the child themselves, but feels grossed out by the smell, the child always being snotty and walking around outside with socks on only, which then get really dirty and then walking straight into the childrens bedroom/jumping on beds.
I told my child they're doing the right thing by not saying these thoughts out loud to the child themselves or their friends, as that could embarrass the child and hurt their feelings. I said maybe they can only play outdoors from now on so that the smell isnt so noticeable.
The things is that the problem is real. The child is always a bit dirty, apparently they bathe only once a week. They smell of poo a lot, and the childs parent has told me a few years ago that they soiled their underpants til quite late and they unfortunately got bullied about it and found it hard to make friends.
So what would you like to happen if this was your child? My dc likes this friend a lot, and i find it sad the child is potentially loosing friends due to bad hygiene. Would you say something to the parents? How can you even approach a subject like this?