Dirt is good

Do you care when your kids get dirty? Or play in the dirt? etc

Yesterday one of my besties was actually in the country with her daughter and came to visit (yay! ), she bought along a friends little girl as well and her mum was meant to come over and grab her while at my house. That was cool.

So we were outside. I was digging a smal trench thing and sticking rocks in it around a garden. Daniel was going around playing with leaves, pulling grass out of the lawn, and generally just exploring while Andrea (my friends daughter) and the other lil girl were helping me dig with their hands and my friend was just watching us and playing with Daniel.

We had spare clothes for the girls so weren't worried about them going home all dirty etc but when her mumma arrived she basically went off her nut about her girl having dirty hands and a dirt smear on her face.

Both me and my friend were shocked. Kids get dirty, and the girls were having so much fun and were being really helpful. What was so wrong with it a child getting a bit of dirt on them?! I feel bad for the little girl now because her mum probably doesn't let her do anything like that given her reaction. And getting dirty when you are a kid is usually loads of fun.

My kids are always getting dirty!
Whether its food or playing dirt, they're always grubby within 10 minutes of me cleaning them, which means I usually am too, lol. Doesn't help that they're always eating either.
I have to be honest and say I do get uptight if I've got them all clean and dressed in nice clothes for going somewhere and I come down to find them mucky again

caraMel wrote: I have to be honest and say I do get uptight if I've got them all clean and dressed in nice clothes for going somewhere and I come down to find them mucky again

See I would understand if she was in nice clothes but she was just in grubby daycare clothes and we were going to clean her up of course and made sure we had clean clothes before letting her get grubby so I don't see what the big deal was with it.

Its just dirt lol, I wouldnt get angry if Caden had dirt on his hands and some on his face lol.

I think there is nothign wrong with kids getting all mucky and stuff lol thats just kids!
Heck I remember making a mud pies as a kid and trying to eat some! lol

Sometimes I like Hannah to keep clean... but if she's having fun then not a problem! A flannel and a change of clothes can change things in a second.

If it's simply because she doesn't like the child playing with dirt then that's silly IMO and boring for the child too. I say let them explore and learn their own way.
Dirt is fun and not just when you're a child either . I love making mud pies.

I DO have OCD but I've long since given up trying to keep my mucky puppies clean! Monday morning Maya will be in a nice clean school uniform and inevitably she'll tip milo all down it. I've learnt to let it go, it's not worth it.

And as for the gremlins, they are dirt magnets.

If we are going somewhere and I want them dressed up and clean I tend to dress them as we're walking out the door, or put dressing gowns over their clothes to stop them making a mess, but other than that, it's nothing a bath and the washing machine can't sort.

haha miss makayla eats dirt lol, she is always coming in with it around her mouth, she prob gets into more than her brother, and we have a huge sandpit so she is always in there........ dirt is good lol

I'm a total clean-freak. When I was a baby and Mum sat me on the grass, I refused to crawl on it because I didn't like the dew from the grass on my hands. I also hated the sandpit. So as an adult, I always always always like my hands clean and this is my main prob with pets (just for me, not for anyone else).

Anyway, when I had Hannah I automatically turned her into rather a clean freak and going outside on a soggy, cool day did not appeal or occur to me so we lived inside in winter and if we needed a break, we'd go to a friend's place or to some indoor play area (like Plunket offer).

In your friend's position, I don't think I would have gone off my nut but I would have been shocked to come to see my girl all dirty.

Nowadays I have three girls and the middle one is a lot more demanding in terms of running around outside etc. So I have lightened up a lot. It may be that you reached that a lot earlier because you are a boy's mum, not a girl's mum.

I'm a lot like busymum, so my Hannah has automatically inherited some of that - she will finally walk on sand and grass in barefeet, but she often grumps about being dirty, and will go change her clothes herself But I dont mind if she gets dirty and is having lots of fun - its just more washing, not like I dont do heaps already!