Kids make messes. It's who they are. Get over it.

I agree with you KBK. Kids learn by getty mucky and often it can't be avoided. So, what's the point in being paranoid and bringing your kid up to be a woose. They'll learn as they grow, and they'll grow much better for the fun times jumping and sliding in the mud, etc. It's all a big, important part of growing up. I grew up in the country, I ate dirt and a male friend used to sit in the garden and bite worms in half. lol. That didn't appeal to me much, so it was a learning curve. We both grew up healthy and strong, instead of being mollycoddled into being "proper" and probably allergic to all sorts of stuff. Brightest Blessings.

I agree 100%. Kids are kids.. They are meant to explore and get dirty! When I would pick up my daughter from daycare-- I'd say- Many Pooh (her nickname) you certainly are a mess... She would always answer but I had fun! : ) I always told the daycare provider when we had plans after work.. So on those days she would get cleaned up and be ready when I got there. Now my daughter is 10-- and she still loves to get dirty! One of her favorite things is to ride 4-wheelers through BIG mud holes! Talk about a muddy mess! She knows the rules-Strip in the front porch (it's enclosed) throw a towel around herself and hit the shower! I do so much wash during the nicer weather months! But I don't bicker or complain! After all Kids are meant to get messy! That just means they are having Fun!

I agree with you, my grandmother always said that happy kid, is a dirty kid, is a healthy kid, when you bring em in for the night you feed them clean em up and put them to bed, to start all over again the next day.

i totally agree with you. my 2 year old is getting more difficult to handle than ever. i wanted him to stay clean as long as i can but i guess i can't expect that from him... the other day i bought him a set of pentels and a coloring book. he was so happy with it and used it right away but after a while when he got tired of the coloring book, he colored himself up, from his head until his toe. i had a hard time taking it from his body. today, he is constantly taking his shoes off and just walks bare foot on our garage... i give up... but he seems happy being messy...

I agree too. Kids need to get dirty and they need to feel free to explore. I think that running around wiping kids all the time can give them a complex. I am not also that worried about stains on clothes - as long as they are clean, I don't see how being discoloured can hurt anyone. I do dress them nicely when it is appropriate to a given situtation, but on the whole, I don't much care. Their clothers are clean and free of tears, I'm not worried about stains or how fast they get dirty.

I agree with you. I go ahead and allow DS (14 months) to be messy sometimes. I do try to get things prepared though. I let him color with markers (that didn't work too well!) but took his shirt off first. He can feed himself spaghetti, but only in the kitchen where the mess is easier to clean. When it's warm out, I'll let him play in the mud, but he can just wear a pair of old shorts or something. And I make it a point to clean him right up when he's done. I know it won't last forever, but it helps a bit. I think making messes for fun is important and I don't want to deny him that experience.

I absolutely hated to put bibs on my kids. My son had lots of little shirts, and I would just pull the dirty one off and put on a clean one. I had a favorite dress pattern for my daughter. It criss crossed in back, buttoned at the shoulders. I made them reversible, with mix and match panties to go over the diapers. Very easy to get the clean look fast. My favorite set was dne in a combination of blue and red checks. It was easy to restore the "fresh look" in those clothes.

i so agree with that my grandmother is raising my little cousin and he had never played in a mud pile because she had it in his head that he was not allowed to get dirty or he would be in trouble. so one weekend when my aunt was there she made this huge mud puddle just for him and her grand daughter to play in together. she even was in there with them. my grandmother took a fit after he came home. i thought her head was going to pop off. but she sstill has it in that little boys head that he is not to make messes or get dirty so everytime im aroung we do something that he would not be allowed to do otherwise.

our room is always a mess,thanks to my little ones.they would get all their toys,scatter it around,and boy!they are really good!i would clean our room 3 times or even more,picking up the toys,making our bed,sweeping the floor but as soon as i finished cleaning,they would undo the bed,making it their slide,begin getting some of their toys, AGAIN,until they doze off..at first it is irritating but their just kids,what can i do but let them be kids.if this makes them happy,as long as they learn how to share their things,and make them help me fix their toys,no biggie with me,i've grown to be used to it.

I cringe every time my kids get dirty...I just don't like it, but I know they are kids so I let them get dirty!! It is hard for me to see them all messy but I am trying to relax with it!! I just need people like you to remind me every now and then so I don't get so uptight =) My kids love to play in the dirt so I always dig up a big pile for them to play in and my son loves to throw it at everyone (bad I know but he is too little to understand that it can get in our eyes) and so by the time we go in the house we are covered in dirt...hard for me but a blast for the kids...my daughter loves to bury her feet =)

I have to admit, I prefer my son doesn´t get filthy because I have to wash his clothes by hand! But still, I´m not overly paranoid. I let him play with water and my mother-in-law thinks that is going to kill him!

kids are kids. that is true. you have to leave them also for some time to enjoy on their own. this way they learn a lot. however it is also good that your babysitter cleans them properly. that teaches them how to be proper in all aspects of life.

You are right and I used to say about mine that they were like little dirt magnets. it is like you can take them into a store and they start off clean at one end but by the time yu come to pay for your shopping they are all mucky! which is why i think they are dirt magnets, it is just attracted to them and then it sticks.

amen. parents should relax about cleaning up every little mess. like if i get water on the carpet, i get lectured and i have to use carpet cleaner to get it out. its like, its water, chill. parents, im not bashing you, just calm down. its murphy's law: what can go wrong, will.

I agree with you kids really like to make a mess but its our responsibility to clean them too.I have a nine month daughter and she will play the water in her cup so she got wet,i just let her play with that coz that will help her to learn.

I am convinced that the best thing about kids getting mucky is that they seem to be so happy when they get mucky. It's part of growing up, part of learning, part of being a kid. If I had been so paranoid about my son being grubby I think I would have been on the go 24/7 cleaning and washing and tidying. Let kids be kids.

I agree. Actually, I have only started talking about what's dirty or not recently, but she figured it out for herself long ago. I noticed she doesn't like things like food stick to her fingers, even when she was small. But I have always allowed her to mess herself as much as she wants as long as there's nothing toxic around, or things that can cut her. Of course, we keep the floor and the house in general as clean as possible, so she can explore as much as she wants.

i understand where you're coming from, however, as a new mom to a 5 month old, well, i can't help but "clean" him up all the time. i know that the older he gets the more lax i will be, but for now, i like my baby to be all clean and sweet smelling:) there's nothing more sweet than a baby in a cuddly sleeper fresh out of a bath....love that. i have afriend with 3 boys and she is just laughs at me b/c i try to get all the boogers and remove all the crust from his runny nose. i change him if he gets his baby food on him at lunch. i can't help it!!! i see her kids, though and i know that eventually i'll be like the two of you, but not just yet. your neighbor may just not realize your views on the situation and maybe she doesn't want to return messy kids??? i used to do the dishes and clean up the house anytime i babysat, after the kids went to bed b/c i didn't want the parents to think i wasn't anything less than a 100% great babysitter. as for your mom, well, maybe she forgot what it was like to have little ones and figures that as a grandma she should keep her grandkids pristine:) i do hope you know that there is a line, though. i've seen some homes and kids that are just down right grubby. the kids and home are filthy and it's not just that kids get messy. it's that the kids, parents and house are dirty and it's sad. i'm sure that's not what you are talking about, though!

definitely true. i have 2 younger siblings and they are constantly wrecking havoc all over the place. i understand though, they are young and it is part of learning. little difficult when they ruin your things though...

I agree with you! Let them be children and have fun and get dirty. They can get their baths before bedtime!