Dirt Don't Hurt

My cousins came over this weekend, and it was pretty amusing to watch our lives through the calm eyes of two educated adults who don't have kids. We are even more loud, and more ridiculous, than I ever imagined.

One of the things that I was laughing about was how, when we are home, and we are always home, our kids are 'free-range kids'. Aside from trying to minimize the LOUD and the WRESTLING, we kind of let things...slide. I don't mind cleaning up a mess, so it was funny to watch my cousins and my friend panic when they caught Scotty with a chair at the refrigerator, methodically filling two or three cups with water from the 'water thing in the door'. No worries! I'd rather sop up a few spills than have a kid who couldn't get water if he was thirsty... or just curious about how much water it might take to fill three pint mason jars.

Monster-sized scissors, that Scotty was using to cut bits of string that I held taut while we all chatted? No worries! He has to learn some time.

But I guess the funniest thing was this thing that I always thought Erik was....weird about. Sometimes, when it's cold and windy outside, I let Scotty play on the kitchen floor with his trucks and
tractors.





It's the most natural thing in the world to me. Little boys like trucks. My little boy, specifically, is obsessed with tractors. And on a rainy, windy, cold day, playing at mommy's feet in the kitchen, the heart of our home, seems like the only logical choice.






I also happen to think it's the most natural thing in the world to bring in some dirt for him to play with. Tractors! Trucks! Rain! Why wouldn't he want some dirt to play with? And the fact that it's on the kitchen floor? No worries! I sweep. I mop.

Eventually.



Anyway, I always thought Erik was overreacting when he got heated about this. Dirt? In the kitchen? It turns out he might be right. My cousins thought this was a little odd too. But because they aren't willing to judge me, it came across as more amused than anything. Am I that wacky? I never thought so. I was raised to believe that 'dirt don't hurt'.


I stand by that. But I also concede that I may be weird.