2004-01-18

PSA

I'm quite certain that we are breeding an entire generation of people who are going to have a terrible time with their immune systems because of the proliferation of anti-bacterial soaps, sprays, handiwipes, lotions and breakfast cereals.

Okay, so I made the last one up, but it's not in the realm of the improbable.

I have an acquaintance -- a fairly new mother -- who will not let anyone within a 15 yard radius of her child unless he or she has undergone a thorough sterilization process involving the 33.8 fl oz. bottle of hand sanitizer she carries in the kid's stroller.

Now, I'm not a mother, so I keep my mouth shut whenever we're out to breakfast and she won't touch the filthy lucre that's being pitched in for the check. But, you know, come on.

Little kids get sick, and it is not pleasant. They ooze out of every conceivable orifice. And then they get better, and subsequently are better equipped to fight infections down the road. Sorry, it's a fact of life.

I'm not advocating dunking your hands in the toilet and then running off to play patty-cake with the first toddler you see, lest any of you think I'm now the Typhoid Mary of Diaryland. By all means keep washing your hands, especially if you're partial to mining for nose goblins whenever you think no one's looking.

Just...you know...chill out on the hand sanitizer.

lisamcc at 6:06 p.m.

9 comments so far
grouse
2004-01-18 20:02:14
Well said. Not only are we creating a generation of resistance-weakened humans, but we're also creating new varieties of antiseptic-resistant germs. Studies have shown, the best way to raise healthy kids is to raise them with two or more furry pets, and playing in the dirt.
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worldgurl
2004-01-18 20:59:03
Amen to today's entry! I get so annoyed when I a see parents of new babies say, "We aren't letting anyone hold junior until he's a little older" And I think to myself, "poor junior, his parent's are going to have a little pussy on their hands who can't get dirty!" I have a 7 year old boy who, when he was an infant, I let everyone hold...even the nice crackhead-looking lady with orange foundation and no teeth. He's survived!
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beatpoetgrrl
2004-01-19 05:08:08
at the daycare center where i used to work, they really pushed the hand sanitizer. consequently, half of the staff had no fingerprints. kinda scary, that hand sanitizer. my theory is that if i survived my childhood without it, it's probably unnecessary. i'm kinda feeling that way about the chicken pox vaccine, too. like, shouldn't we be working on something for, say, cancer?
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telepathy
2004-01-19 05:27:52
"nose goblins" .... hmmmmm
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scurvyann
2004-01-19 10:29:27
hurrah for germs! i'm all for dirt. kids don't get enough dirt in their diets these days, either. gotta build up that immune system, right? oh, and the occasional ingested insect helps too. i am serious.
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e
2004-01-19 16:39:03
My wife went sanitizer happy with our first kid when he was born - had the pump bottle handy whenever there was a visitor. I didn't object (pick my battles) but I agree with you. I don't really think all the anti-bacterial products out there do any more than plain old soap anyway. There is a real problem with overprescribed antibiotics nowadays, which is kinda scarey. Those resistant bacteria mentioned earlier are the menace, but nobody wants to be the once to give up their antibiotics and get over their cold the way nature intended...
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Ealasaid
2004-01-21 13:57:23
Amen, amen. My boyfriend was raised in the temperate rainforest outside Santa Cruz in a house full of mildew and semi-feral cats. And now he NEVER gets sick.
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schmutzie
2004-01-31 15:29:40
Yes, I heartily agree. When my mom had us kids, she had this old doctor, and it was right when people were freaking out about sanitizing baby bottles and whatnot. He told her to let us eat dirt and get sneezed on and soforth, because he said that was the only way to build a properly healthy immune system. And we did not die, obviously. Who wants the super-germs we're raising now, anyway?
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who?
2004-01-31 23:54:48
Too true! Thank goodness mom allowed me to be a dirty girl. I had cancer as a child and this meant I was usually in a rather sterile environment when I should have been munching dirt with other toddlers. However, my mother was NEVER psychotic about keeping me germ-free. I really believe this is why I don't get so much as a sniffle during the flu season, even when I am surrounded by co-workers who are slumped over their desks, coughing their brains out. And THAT means I get to choose my "sick" days. ;^P
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