My Kid Eats Dog Food

And other crazy things.

Just the other day, I hear Andrew yell, "Grab him!" while trying to get Sawyer.  Of course, Sawyer is a quick little thing, darts around furniture and other small spaces.  He makes it quite difficult to grab him if he gets a head start.  You wouldn't think this 22 month old was fast, but he can put on some speed when determined to escape.

I'm sitting on the couch trying to keep Cassidy occupied when Mr. Speedster runs into the room.  I pop up, flip Cassidy to a football hold, and dart after Sawyer.  I'm able to nab him with my awesome agility skills (ok, I just lunged and jumped about 6ft).  Afterwards, I look at Andrew and ask, "Why am I grabbing him?"

To which Andrew answers, "He's eating dog food, again."

So yes, my son eats dog food which he grabs right after of the dog's bowl while she's eating.  And he still has all of his fingers (props to you Thibie!).  He proceeds to shove it in his mouth and take off running.  And it's not just one piece, we've pulled out 3-4 pieces at times.  Yes, he's done this more than once, more than twice, and probably too many times for me to be considered a good parent.

My point is my kids shove random crap in their mouths all the time, and they're not dead or sick.  I have a picture of Jackson eating dirt out of a potted plant when he was Sawyer's age.

And the kicker of all this, my kids do not get sick very often.  They get the occasional cold, stuffy nose, and a random virus that goes around, but in general are very healthy.

I contribute their healthiness to the fact I never once was a germaphobe.  I don't clean pacifiers if they fall onto the ground, I don't go crazy with bleach and cleaning all the time.  I don't even own hand sanitizer.  All we have is regular hand soap in the house.  That's it, and everyone is just fine.

I was at a kid's birthday party this weekend, and Cassidy's pacifier fell onto the floor.  I just picked it up, swiped it on my pants leg, and popped it back in her mouth.  One of the mom's looked at me like I was the devil incarnate.  How dare I not run to the bathroom and wash it off?!  She even offered to wash it for me (which was nice but unnecessary).  I told her no thank you, and she proceeded to tell me she could never do that because she's a germaphobe but her kids get sick all the time anyway.  I decided to not point out the very important fact in that statement.

My best advice to new moms and old moms, please let kids be kids.  They will put anything and everything in their mouth.  Dog food, dirt, toys, shoes, shoe soles, dirty laundry, shovels, balls, and other kid's fingers, just to name a few.  It won't kill them.  In all honestly, it will probably increase their immune system, but it isn't the end of the world.  All four of my kids are still alive, and I've made a germaphobe mom cringe and scathe me with a look the likes of hell fire.

So yes, I'm that non-hand sanitizer, non-bleach cleaning, dog food eating son mom.  But my kids have a very strong immune system!