Dirty kids are happy kids.
Posted by Danielle Bean
in Health
on Friday, August 29, 2008 11:20 AM
The other day, while I was making dinner, Raphael’s small face appeared at the window.
“Come and take a picture of me, Mama,” he said. “A picture with my pie.”
I can never turn down requests like these. I grabbed the camera and headed out to find him at work in his “kitchen.”
I think that some of the scenes I happen upon outdoors at my house might make some moms uneasy. There are a lot of bare feet. And there’s always plenty of dirt. On hands and faces, on legs and clothing. The bath water at the end of a busy, outdoor day at our house is dark and dirty stuff indeed.
Don’t get me wrong—I love my instant hand sanitizer
. I am deathly afraid of stomach viruses. But I am not afraid of a little dirt. Skin is totally washable, in my opinion, so I don’t sweat it.
Dirty kids are happy kids, I think. And I have science to back me up in that opinion.
Exposure to dirt may be a way to lift mood as well as boost the immune system, UK scientists say. Lung cancer patients treated with “friendly” bacteria normally found in the soil have anecdotally reported improvements in their quality of life. Mice exposed to the same bacteria made more of the brain’s “happy” chemical serotonin.
I often find that time spent outdoors is a healthy antidote to my own bad moods. And most gardeners will tell you that getting your hands in soil can be downright therapeutic.
Turns out our dirty little kids are onto something. Maybe we should all be a little less afraid of getting dirty. Dirt pies and mud cakes—bring it on!
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Filed under dirty, outdoors, play
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Comments
1. Posted by Karen
[website] on Friday, Aug 29, 2008 12:10 PM (EST):
My general attitude is “ It’s OK, you’re washable” and/or
“It’s fine, they are just challenging their immune system”
the second comment is good for the panickers that lose it if the 2 yo drops their doughnut after Mass and then picks it up and finishes it 
I know that some of my kids antics make others nervous. They are supposed to wear shoes outside (considering we live where there are poisonous snakes, scorpions, stinging nettle, poison oak, sticker burrs and fire ants) but they often don’t manage to put them on.
We have a tank (pond for you Yankees) that they go play by (the 7 and up set-not the littles) and it’s a mess. Horses they visit and help care for. Forts to build, snakes to hunt.
Probably the biggest mess creator?Sidewalk chalk. Go figure.
Danielle-like you I’ll take anything over a stomach bug. I’m not big on cloistering my kids from other kids or avoiding crowds etc...but please oh please if your child or you has a stomach bug stay far, far, far away from me.
2. Posted by sheo on Friday, Aug 29, 2008 2:14 PM (EST):
Thanks, Danielle. Awesome research to pass on to the disapproving. Concerned people are forever letting me know that my kids aren’t wearing shoes...I tell them, uh, neither am I… I don’t shirk the label “barefoot and pregnant.” 
My kids are all big proponents of the benefits of barefeet, and nice healthy, sweet-smelling soil. We’re all avid gardeners who look at soil with discerning and appreciative eyes. My Dad taught me this when I was little, and I’m so pleased to see others passing this attitude down to their children.
3. Posted by Emily on Friday, Aug 29, 2008 8:10 PM (EST):
We have a hose outside to clean off with before coming in, but it’s often used to make more mud! This summer we found out that the dirt in our new yard has lots of clay in it, lots of fun making mini sculptures to dry in the sun.
Less fun cleaning the house (and yard) when it rained the day we were digging post holes and putting up the posts (clay tracked everywhere, on flag stones, on the patio, in the house on carpet, everywhere!).
4. Posted by Sarah R.
[website] on Saturday, Aug 30, 2008 9:55 AM (EST):
You’re so right, Danielle. Dirty kids ARE happy kids. We live in the country and there are times my oldest gets just filthy...and she’s so HAPPY! The same is true for me. The dirt washes off...and is so often the result of creative play that just can’t be done inside (well, maybe it can, but I wouldn’t want it to!).
5. Posted by Teresa Giorgio on Saturday, Aug 30, 2008 9:38 PM (EST):
My sister and her family call my family “The Barefoot Giorgios” because the nine kids and I are always barefoot. It’s all in good humor, and her kids’ shoes come off when they’re here too!
We live on 3.5 acres, have horses, two cats, and a dog. And mud in the spring/fall. Sidewalk chalk is fun on the driveway, but the kids make it into a messy paste to make it more fun. They put the hose on the trampoline to have a fun fest. The rule of thumb here is baths every night all around. The clothing is usually stained......that’s childhood.
And my husband, the doctor, says that we all eat a pound of dirt before we die.....heheheheh.
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