When I was a first grade teacher and discussed about our health and germs I would do an experiment with the students. I would sprinkle a bit of glitter on their hands and tell them that the glitter represents "germs". We would then do our normal routines. Get a drink from the water fountain, hold open the doors, sort shapes, bounce the balls...and watch how the glitter traveled from our hands to the objects. We then discussed how one very effective way to stop the spread of germs is to wash our hands. So we all cleaned our hands (while singing happy birthday...because that's how long you are supposed to wash) and came back into the classroom. I told the students that now we had to clean up the shapes we just sorted. They then realized the glitter got back on their clean hands! One student just stopped and said..."it's like a disco ball is following me around everywhere."Now back to the present where the news about the flu is everywhere (and overwhelming). Where people are getting sick with normal colds and this "novel" flu....or as my
hilarious husband has nicknamed it...the
hini (pronounced
hin-
ee).
...and I'm a new mom...
Suddenly my "normal world" has turned into a disco ball. I've never been a germ-freak. I've never even gotten the flu shot. But now, I'm in at the mall and people look like they have been sprinkled with fairy dust. The shopping cart looks like glitter sandpaper and I actually wiped the whole section of the plane that we recently just rode in, with Clorox wipes. The reason??? There is someone else that I'm trying to protect and someone who I don't want to see sick and hurting...Olivia. Before I had her I always said, I'm not going to shelter her. I want her exposed to germs...haha. I take that back. I don't want to see Olivia sick. Now I want the glass bubble.
Therefore. .. Random/unfamiliar/strangers of the world,
please don't touch my child.
The news has been
infiltrated about H1N1, and I would assume that most people know that it's all around us; however, why then are RANDOM (i don't know you and
i'm not talking to you) people coming up to Olivia and touching her??? Yes, she is a flirt. She'll smile at you and you'll want to come and say hi. That's fine. But don't take two hands and place them on her face. Don't rub her head or try to shake her hand. Don't even play with her feet (and yes, these are all real examples of things that have happened while I'm out with Olivia with a random person within the past month).
Maybe you are reading this thinking "Andrea has lost it"...but it's also about personal space. I believe that if you don't know someone, you don't just start touching them...no matter if they are a baby or an adult. And yes, it is inevitable. Olivia will get sick. But I'm going to try and protect her. We are washing our hands more frequently, Olivia will get her vaccines and flu shots...and I will gain the confidence to tell these random people to not touch my child.
I try not to act like germs bother me, but who am I kidding, I am writing this blog post. It's fine. Make fun of me, but this is me...a new germ-conscience me. Oh...and we are buying stock in hand
sanitizer this year :)
Professional moms out there....any tips? Do you feel the same way with two/three/four kids? or do I just need to have another child and it won't be like this any more? Or am I just crazy? (tim you are not allowed to answer that question)
