Vent ... What Do You Think?

[taylorw1210]

While I wouldn't necessarily encourage my kids to go around licking things (that IS weird), I absolutely buy her thought process and way of thinking.

When I grew up, we didn't use hand sanitizer, didn't wash our hands every time we changed activities and probably ate our fair share of food dropped onto the ground.

It was simply a way of life. We spent most days outside. I remember taking icicles off the edge of our garage and ****ing on them like popsicles...

We (my siblings and I) were RARELY if ever sick. I have been in the child care field now for over 2 decades and I have taken one sick day in all that time.

I think it has a lot to do with my body being given the chance to build up immunities against some of those germs.

I FULLY 100% believe that those kids that are allowed to eat a little bit of "dirt" or germs now and then are much healthier than other kids.

Those germs DCB is picking up from the shopping cart and whatever else he is licking IS helping his body build up immunities. They are doing their job.

I don't think I would automatically assume though that he is the host for whatever other illnesses are going around. Just because someone doesn't actually get sick, doesn't always meant they are the carrier.

Sure, it could be possible but I guess in this line of business I see no point in trying to narrow down where something came from when there are so many variables...kwim?

Plus, you really can't exclude for being a carrier/host... I'd have to make a policy that most of my parents couldn't enter the daycare then because most of mine work either in the public school system or the healthcare field.

[countrymom]

I agree with everyone else. My own kids are rarely sick. As my dh always says "god made dirt, so dirt don't hurt" Now I do suggest that dressing properly and eating the right food does play an important part, but my kids don't do hand sanitizers or anything else that they need to be in a bubble.

Now licking of shopping carts, well common sense is needed there, come on, sometimes you just don't know where someones hands have been.