Ew, Gross...or....Oooo, Gross!

We’ve all been hurt performing in some way or another.  It may have been in sports, climbing a tree, or just horsing around with friends.  But the risk reward ratio is darn near always in the favor of the adventurous.  The kids may learn not to do that again.  Or better yet, learn to do it better.  Without risking anything, there will be no gain of which to be proud.  Don’t always take the safe road.  Let your youngster delve into the unknown or unchallenged once in a while.  You’ll be pleasantly surprised at what they can do, and what they have figured out, all on their own.

Another thing that has caught my eye is the use, or overuse, of various types of hand sanitizer.  Yeah, it probably is a good idea to try to keep clean when you can.  But I also think there is something to be said for letting little bodies get dirty once in a while.  Hypothetically let’s compare the two extremes.  First, a child allowed to have a little of the world stay in contact with him for a time.  And second, a child who lives essentially in a bubble; never letting germs linger even the slightest amount.  What happens when the first kid goes a little longer than expected before having the opportunity to have a good cleaning?  Most likely nothing more than needing to spend a little extra time in a bath.  But that second child?  Could be in for a world of rashes, sickness, and probably whining that he’s dirty.  Speaking as the world's foremost immunologist, I can tell you that our immune systems need to develop.  Just like anything, they need to be excersized.  The less they do, the less they'll be able to do.

Let’s let our kids pet a farm animal, get buried in a sandbox, touch a public playground, or help us prepare a meal without reacting like they were just exposed to pure evil.  You’ll be surprised how it impacts their general fortitude.  I’m not suggesting making a habit out of meals consisting of raw pork and chicken.  But we need to make accommodations to let young constitutions fortify themselves against the world.  A person left with a horribly weak immune system from being overly sheltered his whole childhood will have trouble his entire life, whereas someone being given the physical latitude to deal with a little germ intrusion now and then will have a much easier time fending off the viruses that we all come in contact with daily.

You’re probably getting to know that I’m uncomfortable with public policy dictating how we rear our kids.  I’ve recently seen evidence of this in places that impact our children’s health…or seem to in the eyes of people other than my kid’s parents.  We went to a local farm where they sell locally grown fruits and vegetables.  At this little farm they have an area where the patrons can get up close to a couple cows and goats, some sheep and a pony, as well as smaller animals like rabbits and chickens.  In the past we were able to pet the animals – well, not the chickens; chickens are just mean – and even feed them some oats that are provided.  On our last trip we found a tall fence was built around the animal’s pens with several feet separating the two, thereby turning the area into a tiny little prison compound.  At every pen there was a small pvc tube through both fences in which we could drop some of the food pellets for the animals.  Next to each tube was a massive dispenser of, you guessed it, hand sanitizer.

Well, this was just a fine kettle of fish…to which we’d probably not be allowed to get near.  Now, not only could we NOT touch the animals (something we and they seemed to enjoy equally) but now we were encouraged to constantly clean ourselves after NOT getting them dirty.  I ask you, what madness is this?  Are even farms becoming so sanitary that the stuff of their very livelihood is off limits?  My grandfather owned a small “farm” (read: a small suburban plot on which to grow vegetables and have an animal now and then), on which I spent a good portion of my childhood.  There were constantly crops to tend and animals to feed or just generally interact with.  It’s becoming increasingly difficult to find places like that for my kids to even see.

Are the days gone when it was possible for a youngster to go feed a chicken (still not that nice, but not completely a cockatrice) or stand of the fence of a pig sty and hang out with the swine for a while as they snuffle in the mud?  I love to see my kids in the backyard try to sneak close to a chipmunk in order to toss it a cracker, or hold a piece of bread for a duck at the local lake.  Too many parents these days would shudder at the thought of such interaction.  Heaven forbid little Johnny come in contact with something that has more, or less, legs than him.  It might have a germ!