Take a dirty picture. No not that kind of dirty picture, that’s a different website. The picture I’m talking about is the one where most parents would jump in and stop their kid from playing. You know the one in the dirt, mud, or whatever else they see making a mess. My advice, take a picture instead and let them play.
As an adult, we have this idea that we must be presentable all the times. We act like dirt doesn’t happen to us. Why do we feel so responsible to make sure our kids are just as clean as we think we need to be?
Sure there are going to be times when we have a more specific reason to keep the little ones out of the puddles. Right before family pictures and on the way into restaurants. Or my favorite, in the driveway, as we walk into the family Christmas party when you forgot to pack an additional outfit. We have all been there and know you’re really hoping someone got her one.
These are just some of my daughters personal favorite times to find mud. But, before you jump up to grab for the kid in an effort to prevent the mess, consider this:
Do we really have anywhere to be that they can’t just be dirty?
Think about it for a minute. Being a kid is one of the last times in life when you can jump in puddles, play in the dirt, and get all around dirty. The best part, they can go anywhere dirty and have someone say, “awww look how cute you are!” If you try to do the same thing as an adult people tend to look at you weird and tell you to get lost.
So before you jump to the rescue of washing machines, take a second and think about how getting dirty could be the most fun way to spend the afternoon.
Is the damage already done?
Is a new outfit needed anyway? At some point, you have already lost the battle before you even realize you were ever in it. Kids have an amazing internal radar system. It makes all stain-inducing things flash like a beacon of light. Like a fly to a light, they are drawn so strongly. It can appear as though they teleport directly from holding your hand to the center of a knee-high puddle.
I’m pretty sure there is an exact correlation between how fast this happens and how much time you have to be somewhere with a clean kid. If you have the time, let them play. The damage is done. You are already going to be making the extra stop anyway.
Now the only real question is, how close is the nearest Target is for the new outfit pit stop? There will be days when you will feel like your kid has more costume changes than a pop star concert. You will get to a point where all vehicles and frequently visited houses will have a spare outfit.
The next time you feel like stopping them from getting a little dirty take a minute to take a picture. Take in the experience. Before you know it they will trade in those dirty clothes for car keys and what seems like frustrating times will be missed.