It's not just for smelling good

Mark recently lost his deodorant, which he remembered as we strolled down the deodorant aisle of the grocery store.

"I need a new one," he told me. He sniffed his armpits and grimaced. "I need it BAD!"

"OK," I said. I scanned the shelves for the natural brand without aluminium or other chemicals. Mark searched the other end of the aisle.

"This one!" he shouted triumphantly, holding up a can of Axe body spray. I realized I was losing the battle of the tween-T.V. show advertisers.

"No, that's not age-appropriate," I told him. Then I remembered Edra mocking us when Mark got his first deodorant--it was Old Spice. She insisted it wasn't age-appropriate either, because it leaned toward the other end of the age spectrum.

"That's what old men wear!" she'd chastised me.

"But it has a football theme," I pointed out. "It says NFL on it." She stared at me and shook her head, so I shifted the blame.

"Mark picked it out," I snapped. "He wanted it."

But now Mark was moving into new territory. Besides costing three times as much as the chemical-free brand, it just made me...uncomfortable. I'm not sure why, it made no sense, but I've seen enough ads to know Mark's not their intended target audience.

But Mark's like a rabid attack dog. The minute I say no, he sinks his teeth in and refuses to let go.

"This is the one I want," he said stubbornly. He actually crossed his arms and shut his eyes.

I've learned that fighting Mark is not always the best tactic. Sometimes agreeing with him has better results.

"OK," I shrugged. I held the deodorant over the cart, then stopped for a second. "Except..."

"Except what?" Mark asked.

"Nothing..." I said, shrugging again.

"WHAT??" Mark prodded.

"Well, the girls love this brand," I said. "When you wear it, they won't leave you alone."

"OK, then NO," my little man immediately said. Mark snatched the deodorant out of my hand and pushed the cart out of the aisle. Apparently, he'd seen enough of the ads to know that is exactly what Axe body sprays is selling--the promise of intense female attraction.

That's the last thing he wants now--girls fawning over him. And trust me, I'm going to exploit that fact for as long as I can, because I know it won't last forever.

I snickered to myself. Sometimes it's just better to give in than to fight.