I love getting dirty! Get your minds out of the gutter because I am talking about literal dirt. I love being sweaty, grimy, covered in dirt, and smothered with paint. If you name a reason to take a shower, I love being covered in it. First of all it makes my showering so much more rewarding. Rather than just cleaning up a smelly mommy I get to actually scrub off visible muck. Secondly I always feel like I accomplished something when I am dirty. The physical appearance of sweat or grim means that I exerted myself for a specific purpose. If I am covered in paint I know that their is a freshly painted project that I just completed. If I am covered in sweat dripping down every part of my body I know that I have burned a significant amount of calories. If I am covered in dirt and grass I know that my yard and garden will be more landscaped for the work that I have put in. I love getting dirty and so do my girls. Therefore I always encourage my girls to play in the dirt or get sticky or get messy in all ways possible.
Our pediatricians office has a lamented sign in their exam room for all patients to read. In summary it says "Please let your kids play outside in the dirt. It is good for them." The sign has statistics and reassurances for parents that dirt will not hurt your children. On the contrary it literally says that it is good for children and decreases a lot of common ailments. Germs have never bothered me. Once my oldest was in school I just resigned myself to the fact the whole family was going to get whatever she brought home. Therefore letting them play outside in the dirt and grim was not something I was going to fight. Especially since the outside made them so happy. Climbing trees, digging for treasure, and touching all the outside things cause my little ladies to constantly be dirty when the weather is cooperating.
Keeping my free range girls inside was never an option. Even when my middle child was 6 months old the only thing that would get her to calm down and stop crying was to walk outside. My mom bought me a deck swing for that exact purpose. The fresh air instantly stopped any kind of uncomfortable feelings she was having just a few moments earlier. As a result if the weather allowed it we were all outside all day. We are all very fair skinned so we usually go through at least a gallon of sunscreen every year. My girls love the sun but the sun does not like us. As soon as they pop out of bed in spring and summer I lather them up and they are outside the entire rest of the day. Some days I can barely get them to come in for lunch. Other days we eat lunch outside. If the sandwich gets dropped in the dirt we brush it off and continue on with our lunch. Eating dirt has never been something I have been concerned about. I try to discourage it but in the end the fight is futile.
I love that my girls love to get dirty just like their momma. In the winter we usually give our girls a bath every other day because they don't really get that dirty. However, when the weather is nice, especially in the summer, our girls need to get cleaned every night because of the amount of grim they get into. Getting dirty is part of life. We are all going to get dirty in different ways. If I help my girls feel comfortable with actual dirt while they are young hopefully they will find the confidence to get into the muck of life as they get older. Encouraging my ladies to get into the muddy messiness of life will prepare them for getting into situations that are not always neat and tidy. Life is messy and my little ladies are thriving in the mess of this world.
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