I'm not a germophobe and feel very comfortable with ruby exploring her world... but not the world of the trashcan. ew ew and ick! N-O to the trash. ick!
I find trash can "exploring" repulsive. I find most of your college examples equally repulsive. I didn't grow up germ phobic, but with a nurse as a mother, I was taught to keep clean things away from dirty things. Like you don't touch food at the salad bar with your bare hands. This wasn't so much because of other people's germs but your own. When was the last time you washed your hands? And the possibility that you might pass on germs to others.
Its not as if the mother allowed her to do it. Whether repulsive or not, kids like to do what their parents do - throw things away in the garbage. They don't understand its germy and gross - thats for us to teach. All they know is, 'mom put something interesting in there. I wonder what other interesting stuff is in there...'
So, yes, playing in the trash is gross, but the bent is such that it seems like you think the mother was allowing her to do it, which is clearly not the case. The child is, in fact, exploring. My one year old likes to bring me cans and baby food jars from the cupboard. If I toss something she wants, she'll high tail it to the garbage can. She doesn't know "icky" or "dangerous" from "tadpole" or "engine"! Its my duty to stop her. Big deal. Its really no different than me finding all the silicone ice cube trays I washed stacked neatly in the pots and pans cupboard by wee little hands...
The mother *was* in fact allowing her to explore the trash. As I mentioned, it was I who attempted to stop her exploration while her mother stood there and watched her do it.
Thanks for sharing a dissenting opinion that exploring the trash is no big deal. I don't think I'll ever get over my belief that it is indeed nasty and I won't allow my daughter to explore that world.
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So, yes, playing in the trash is gross, but the bent is such that it seems like you think the mother was allowing her to do it, which is clearly not the case. The child is, in fact, exploring. My one year old likes to bring me cans and baby food jars from the cupboard. If I toss something she wants, she'll high tail it to the garbage can. She doesn't know "icky" or "dangerous" from "tadpole" or "engine"! Its my duty to stop her. Big deal. Its really no different than me finding all the silicone ice cube trays I washed stacked neatly in the pots and pans cupboard by wee little hands...
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Thanks for sharing a dissenting opinion that exploring the trash is no big deal. I don't think I'll ever get over my belief that it is indeed nasty and I won't allow my daughter to explore that world.
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