LJ Idol Week 2
Topic 2: “I Don’t Care About Apathy: What I "Should" Care About - But Don’t”
A little dirt never hurt.
What good is your immune system if you don't test it every once in a while?
5 second rule? Try the 5 minute rule!
My philosophy on children, cleanliness, and food comes in convenient bumper sticker form! Now, don't get me wrong, I like being clean. I am a big fan of showering, washing my hands, making sure my utensils are clean before cooking, and all that sort of thing. Hygeine and a clean house are things that are important to me, but getting messy and possibly eating something of questionable origin? Hey, whatever. If I drop a succulent piece of fresh, ripe pear on the ground, I am going to rinse or wipe that bugger off and eat it anyway. I am pretty sure MythBusters proved that everything we eat is revolting regardless of if it's been on the floor or not. So, I don't worry unless, you know, the food isn't salvageable. Even I have my limits. A piece of cheesecake falling on a sidewalk next to a dog park? It's gone, man. Give it up.
But if I see my children eating something that probably has seen more relatively-not-disgusting floor time than my area rug, I'm usually not too concerned. Unless it's moving. Or is deodorant. Robert, especially, seems to think Arm and Hammer is a rare delicacy and will try to consume entire sticks if given half a chance. Of all the things I saw myself hiding from my kids, I never thought it would be Lady's Speed Stick. But, I digress...
I really thought I would be a neat freak when I had children because, let me tell you, kids are gross. They slobber on things! They paint with their own feces! They produce more bodily fluids than seems entirely possible for their size! (Personally, I thought a baby would deflate before it sneezed out as much snot as mine did when they were infants.) Now, maybe I would have become a neat freak if I had only had one child, but I had a litter. Twins make a lot of plans and ideals fly out the window. Diligently Cloroxing toys every night and sterilizing anything that touches the floor before letting your precious snowflake touch it again go the way of the dinosaurs.
And, my kids are boys. They like to play in the dirt. A lot. If I was as neurotic about cleanliness as the Lysol commercials try to convince me I should be, I would have no hair and I may or may not currently be having an aneurysm. There is going to be some dirt on their knees, grime under the fingernails, questionable content in their mouths, and a big smile on their faces. And there is nothing their repulsive exteriors can't be fixed by an eventual bath so, why sweat the small messes?
I guess there are worse things to be apathetic over. But, you must excuse me. I just dropped a cookie and I have to hunt for it under the desk before a cat, kid or husband gets to it. We have a five second rule that I am not apathetic about. If you lose track of your snack for more than five seconds, someone else is allowed to retrieve and eat it. I don't care if my cookie is on the floor, but I DO care if it gets pilfered by a speedy toddler!
A little dirt never hurt.
What good is your immune system if you don't test it every once in a while?
5 second rule? Try the 5 minute rule!
My philosophy on children, cleanliness, and food comes in convenient bumper sticker form! Now, don't get me wrong, I like being clean. I am a big fan of showering, washing my hands, making sure my utensils are clean before cooking, and all that sort of thing. Hygeine and a clean house are things that are important to me, but getting messy and possibly eating something of questionable origin? Hey, whatever. If I drop a succulent piece of fresh, ripe pear on the ground, I am going to rinse or wipe that bugger off and eat it anyway. I am pretty sure MythBusters proved that everything we eat is revolting regardless of if it's been on the floor or not. So, I don't worry unless, you know, the food isn't salvageable. Even I have my limits. A piece of cheesecake falling on a sidewalk next to a dog park? It's gone, man. Give it up.
But if I see my children eating something that probably has seen more relatively-not-disgusting floor time than my area rug, I'm usually not too concerned. Unless it's moving. Or is deodorant. Robert, especially, seems to think Arm and Hammer is a rare delicacy and will try to consume entire sticks if given half a chance. Of all the things I saw myself hiding from my kids, I never thought it would be Lady's Speed Stick. But, I digress...
I really thought I would be a neat freak when I had children because, let me tell you, kids are gross. They slobber on things! They paint with their own feces! They produce more bodily fluids than seems entirely possible for their size! (Personally, I thought a baby would deflate before it sneezed out as much snot as mine did when they were infants.) Now, maybe I would have become a neat freak if I had only had one child, but I had a litter. Twins make a lot of plans and ideals fly out the window. Diligently Cloroxing toys every night and sterilizing anything that touches the floor before letting your precious snowflake touch it again go the way of the dinosaurs.
And, my kids are boys. They like to play in the dirt. A lot. If I was as neurotic about cleanliness as the Lysol commercials try to convince me I should be, I would have no hair and I may or may not currently be having an aneurysm. There is going to be some dirt on their knees, grime under the fingernails, questionable content in their mouths, and a big smile on their faces. And there is nothing their repulsive exteriors can't be fixed by an eventual bath so, why sweat the small messes?
I guess there are worse things to be apathetic over. But, you must excuse me. I just dropped a cookie and I have to hunt for it under the desk before a cat, kid or husband gets to it. We have a five second rule that I am not apathetic about. If you lose track of your snack for more than five seconds, someone else is allowed to retrieve and eat it. I don't care if my cookie is on the floor, but I DO care if it gets pilfered by a speedy toddler!