Reply #30: No flames from me. I taught my kids to wash their hands after using the [View All]

[Arkansas Granny]

bathroom (although I'm sure they didn't always do so) and made sure they washed before they ate. However, in a days time, I'm sure they ingested a lot of dirt and other substances that would make some people shudder. We also went to the creek a lot to swim and they've swallowed a lot of creek water and we always had pets that they played with and shared food with. I grew up pretty much the same way with the additional exposure of farm animals and outdoor toilets.

Not all germs are bad or dangerous. You can be too clean with kids. I don't advise letting them play in feces or swim in stagnant water, but a little bit of dirt is not going to hurt the average, healthy child.