I just read the post in Cafe Mom- A Little Dirt is Good For Babies and I have a few thoughts on them.
I am also of the opinion that children need to have complete freedom to explore the world around them. My mom used to be on my case every now and then saying that I do not sanitize my daughter's toys enough or that I do not care about the hygiene levels in the household.
I keep my house clean although not to the extent of getting to every nook and corner of the house every single day with my duster and broom. However, I do make it a point to get to them at least every two weeks. No one has fallen ill because of "low" hygiene levels around the house.
When I was in Singapore, the amount of time my daughter gets to spend with the nature is quite limited. We used to go to school,, come back, go to parks every now and then and that's basically all the time she used to get with nature.
Ever since we have come to Bangalore, things have changed. She is spending more time at the parks with her new found friends. She gets all dirty and sweaty by the time she gets home. She plucks flowers and save them till she gets home to show them to me. She makes excellent sand/mud cakes. Her fingernails needs to be cleaned well, sometimes brushed, to get all the grimes and dirt out.
So far she has not fallen ill because of that. Previously, my daughter was always catching cold. She used to be confined to the four walls, either of her school or home. Now that she is in the open and with all the dirt and germs she is much healthier. I would say that her immune system and her coping mechanisms have improved a great deal.
I have seen parents carry hand sanitizers with them everywhere they go, especially after the SARS Breakout. At that point, it was necessary but do we need to obsess so much with it now that we are Okay? I used to carry a hand spritzer when I bring my daughter to the park.However, after a day I realized that I want to keep my daughter clean, I will have to confine her indoors.
Kids are kids and they need to be left with nature with all its shortcomings so that they have a healthy learning and interaction with the environment. Also, this will in turn build heir immunity levels to fight off diseases. These are some of the things I have realized and if you are an overprotective parent, you will consider letting your guard down for a while to see the positive effects of it.
I am also of the opinion that children need to have complete freedom to explore the world around them. My mom used to be on my case every now and then saying that I do not sanitize my daughter's toys enough or that I do not care about the hygiene levels in the household.
I keep my house clean although not to the extent of getting to every nook and corner of the house every single day with my duster and broom. However, I do make it a point to get to them at least every two weeks. No one has fallen ill because of "low" hygiene levels around the house.
When I was in Singapore, the amount of time my daughter gets to spend with the nature is quite limited. We used to go to school,, come back, go to parks every now and then and that's basically all the time she used to get with nature.
Ever since we have come to Bangalore, things have changed. She is spending more time at the parks with her new found friends. She gets all dirty and sweaty by the time she gets home. She plucks flowers and save them till she gets home to show them to me. She makes excellent sand/mud cakes. Her fingernails needs to be cleaned well, sometimes brushed, to get all the grimes and dirt out.
So far she has not fallen ill because of that. Previously, my daughter was always catching cold. She used to be confined to the four walls, either of her school or home. Now that she is in the open and with all the dirt and germs she is much healthier. I would say that her immune system and her coping mechanisms have improved a great deal.
I have seen parents carry hand sanitizers with them everywhere they go, especially after the SARS Breakout. At that point, it was necessary but do we need to obsess so much with it now that we are Okay? I used to carry a hand spritzer when I bring my daughter to the park.However, after a day I realized that I want to keep my daughter clean, I will have to confine her indoors.
Kids are kids and they need to be left with nature with all its shortcomings so that they have a healthy learning and interaction with the environment. Also, this will in turn build heir immunity levels to fight off diseases. These are some of the things I have realized and if you are an overprotective parent, you will consider letting your guard down for a while to see the positive effects of it.
