Kids vs. Dirt/Germs

When it comes to our kids, keeping them clean and germ free not be the best thing to do.

It’s ok for your kids to play in dirt every now and then.

This might be tough to hear, but with our American obsession with keeping clean, we are raising a generation of kids that might not be able to fight off many diseases later in life. Back when we were kids, it wasn’t unusual to play out in a dirt field than grab a bite to eat without washing our hands very well. Nowadays, most kids are conditioned to wash thoroughly before eating anything, and with the H1N1 virus around, a lot of them carry hand sanitizers to keep from getting sick.

Now I’m certainly not advocating we go out and jump in the mud, or cut back on washing our hands, but a new study is showing that it’s ok for our kids to get exposed to bacteria and germs every now and then.

Researchers looked at Filipino children from birth and followed them for twenty two years. Those that lived lives that weren’t as clean also had lower levels of a marker in the blood, c reactive protein, indicating they had stronger immune systems as adults.

So again, the lesson here is not to ignore basic hygiene but to remember that children’s immune systems need a workout to get stronger. It’s okay from time to time to let them ignore the 30 second rule or maybe share a bag of candy or popcorn with other kids. It could make them stronger adults.