Healthy Dirty Kids

By: Mia L. Hazlett
3/16/12

Call me old school or whatever, but I’m not real big on the whole hand sanitizer thing.  If I think your hands are dirty, go wash them with soap and water.  I’m not touching you and you’re not touching me if all you use is hand sanitizer after you just sneezed into your hands.  I need you to use soap and wash the dead germs away with water.  I can’t stand to see parents constantly running behind their children sanitizer this and wipes that and Neosporin sprays and anti- this and anti- that.  I get it germs can make you sick.  But non-exposure can also make it worse.

The one thing I’ve learned, kids are gross.  I don’t care how prim and proper you try to make your child, I am willing to bet that every child out there (even yours – perfect parent) has

tasted a boogie.  I wasn’t really aware of what I was taking a picture of (to the left.) People had stopped so I could capture their first time at the Empire State Building.  I took the picture and then quickly stepped to the side to review my shot.  That’s when I  realized what she was actually doing.  By the time I looked, her mouth was moving.  Ewww!!!  Now in cases like this, will I squirt a little hand sanitizer, yes.  

I guess my attitude stems from the fact, my mother is a nurse.  Unless we were dying or bleeding, she didn’t want to hear it.  Overall, me and my siblings were healthy.  The occasional cold and stomach bugs visited us every now and again.  We drank from the yard hose, didn’t wear shoes outside, my brother taught me how to “blow my nose like a man” (hold one nostril closed and blow, he didn’t add – not inside.)  He also used to make me eat mud pies, “trust me, there are no bugs in it.”  My kids get that same natural exposure as do their immune systems.   I don’t go crazy when they are rolling on the ground outside, yes literally (my youngest hasn’t quite grasped the concept there should be a hill, but hey, she’s content with rolling across the yard.)

I’ll also be honest.  I’m not a huge duster.  I’ll vacuum, change their sheets regularly, physical and dental hygiene, but yeah you might spot dust here-there-everywhere!  But I will say this, my kids don’t have any allergies.  They can eat whatever foods they want.  They can go outside in the spring and summer and not have to carry a prescribed inhaler.  During the winter season, they’ve battled the common cold and a stomach bug.  Knock on wood, I’ve been blessed enough that they don’t have any chronic illnesses.  They tend to be sticky and gross at times.  Yes I said gross.  My oldest has been introduced to the “girl bag.”  It has deodorant, body spray, smelly lotion and a little hand sanitizer thing.  It remains pretty much untouched in her room because she never brings it with her.  Then she is reaching in my purse trying to get her nastiness on my deodorant. My youngest, I’m trying to curb that habit from the photo.

I believe germs are bad.  I believe not exposing your kids to germs is worse.  I’m not a doctor, nor do I play one on TV (sorry, I had to), but I even chose their doctor because he is not big on medicating my kids for every little thing.  I usually end up talking to the nurse on the phone most of the time, “Give her a little Tylenol, if the fever doesn’t break in two hours, bring her in.”  The fever usually breaks and they are good to go. So, their doctor’s visits stem around annual physicals.

I don’t know, maybe I’m a failure for not protecting my kids from every little germ out there, but at least I have healthy dirty kids!