. . . dirt. We went to the park today with some other moms from the ward and holy sandbox, Batman! There was dirt everywhere! Now, I wasn't born yesterday--I know any park (and most of the planet, for that matter) has lots of dirt. However, for some reason I wasn't emotionally prepared for it to come in contact with my pristine angel.I must have held Joy on my lap for twenty minutes before I loosened up enough to at least let her play on the bench next to me. Of course, she immediately discovered a bunch of sand in one of its cracks. I could almost hear her baby thought process: "Oh hey! What's THAT??? It sure is fun to scrunch it between my fingers. I wonder what it tastes like. Hmm . . . tastes better than strained peas, but not as good as Cheerios. Better try some more just to be sure, though . . ."
I know all you veteran parents are laughing, as well you should. I understand that the more mobile Joy gets, the more components of Mother Nature will find their way under her fingernails and through her digestive tract. That's hard for a compulsive nose-wiper like myself to accept, but I'm working on it.
In the meantime, we invested in some outdoor shoes and a sturdy pair of jeans. I'm steeling myself for the fact that those cute white flowers won't stay white for long, and the brown shoes are destined to get, um, browner. Heaven help me the first time Joy eats a bug.
10 comments:
oh joy!!! aidan loves sand, we went to the park on thursday and he shoved a good handful in his mouth and was covered head to foot in it. but he was loving it, so i let it go. it took me awhile to let him get to that point as well. i held him once for like an hour before i let him crawl through the sand. now i just let it go. a little bit of germs is actually healthy for them!
It only gets better, or worse. It all depends on how you look at it. The tactile input that dirt (or sand, or whatever else) is such a great stimulation to children's brains. Good job! Also-her shoes are super cute. She looks more like you everyday. Do people tell you that?
i can't wait to be a mom...and i already know those will be my feelings too...i cringe when i see lil kids getting dirty & germy
My kids ate sand once in a blue moon. I think every kid does. Love Joy's shoes. Where do you shop? I agree with Jodi on the germ thing. We also use germ X to clean with after playing. That might help you feel better. You could also bring your own sand in a dish container. They sale the sand at toysrus for like $4.00. That's what we put in our back yard with our playground. Zout (which you can buy at Wal-mart) will make those white flowers white again if they ever get too dirty. If you don't like the sand thing at all, you can also bring a container of dried beans and her sand toys and let her have fun with those.
Serena, I got the shoes at Carter's - the prices are decent, the sizing is consistent, and I generally find things I like.
And (deep sigh) I think I'll just let her play in the sand. She'll survive like billions of kids have before her, and fighting the inevitable would create more stress than I want to deal with.
Caitlin, I'm flattered that you think I'm that cute. :)
I remember with Carter I was very protective and worried about everything. With Easton I'm a lot more layed back.
PS You are so lucky to live in such a state with such nice weather! We are dying to go outside!
Of all the varieties of dirt there are, I really think playground sand is the least dirty. At least in terms of how it affects clothes. And not every kid tries to eat the sand. I don't remember Ellie or Kaylee having much interest in consuming it. Of course if Joy ends up eating any you can just tell yourself that she's just building up her immune system. =)
Baby Paul is a regular sand eater as well. He also likes to eat grass and an occasional stick. The joys of motherhood.....
haha ha haha ha ahaha ha aha...i get you and sympathize and am hilariousized (yeah i know it's not a word...but it works).
adam hates being dirty, except by sand. when hannah makes pretend food (composed entirely of sand) he'll eat it. ugh!
and at the beach? oh man...first thing he dives face first into it, rolls around and pretty soon is absolutely powdered. gross.
all i can tell myself is...he is a very healthy boy. his contact with actual harmful germs is small. he's building his immune system. i'm sure i (and all preceding generations) have eaten dirt and yet the cycle continues.
plus, would you like a secret i learned from a mother of nine? baby powder. it's the only way to remove that stuck on sand. a little bit works miracles...
and i must confess...as much as i hate cleaning that ground in filth...there is something so joyous about kids coming home at theend of the day, dirty and elated and wiped out tired. it means they've had one of those magical child days that we asadults will never understand again. and that somehow...i'm being a good mom.
Thank you, Nicole. It helps to be reminded of that. :)
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