Clean Freak

I'm a clean freak. Oh yes. I know I am.

Constantly picking up any bit of paper left from devoured chocolates or twigs being brought in by people who don't remove their footwear when entering the house. Myself included.

When toys have been left abandoned for less than 5 minutes I pounce and am already packing them away to screams of "No!, I'm still playing. No!, I was coming back. No! Don't put it away yet."

I'm a clean freak. Oh yes.

Constantly washing the hands and mouth of a two and a half year old who seems to have trouble adapting to the technique or the want needed, in using a spoon or fork. Washing her hands every time she has touched anything that has not been inspected by the Health Department of Environmental Sanitation.

Constantly repeating, "No, don't touch that! Great! Now you're dirty, where are the wipes? Take your tongue off the glass door it has germs. No, the dirt from your feet don't really go with a Vegemite sandwich or Pasta or with your biscuits. Just keep your feet out of your plate unless you can use a spoon or fork with them?."

So I came to a decision. That this was not a wise way to be.

It was such a beautifully sunny day I decided to let my Aquarius have a play in our tiny wading pool. How dirty can you get in water anyway?

It was going swimmingly, for want of a better phrase as I had the pool filled with crystal clear water, I had the towel strategically placed two steps from the pool so the walk there wouldn't attract too much grass and I had my girl sitting knee deep playing with her toys. I was then able to sit and observe my frolicking mermaid, content that this was a good idea.

It wasn't long before my glistening girl came to the decision that water was certainly fun but maybe something more could be added.

With bucket and spade in hand my human earthmover heads over to the sandpit that is full of white pristine sand purchased for the sole purpose of just being sand and fills the bucket to the brim which is then transported to the pool and unceremoniously dumped in my crystal clear aqua. This is repeated a few more times.

After a very short amount of time, instead of my pure liquid, there was now a muddy brown, oozing sludge in where my wallowing piglet now bathed.

This sludge was all over her. It was all over the towel I cleverly put too close to the pool. It was even on the dog who had ventured too close to the disaster area.

I am a clean freak.  And to sit and watch without running over with hose in hand, clean towel and disinfectant was hard, very hard.

Yes I am a clean freak, oh yes I am but... watching my smudged girl laughing, covered from head to foot in a brownish tinge having a great time feeling the texture and experimenting... I remembered I wasn't always a clean freak. I remembered when young how much fun it was to get absolutely filthy, to lie in soot and mud making pies or fake drinks.

That's when I decided to relax and enjoy what I beheld. That's when I recollected that this age is one of the most enlightening, the most fun, the most free. My angel being nearly three now, I decided to let her get as smudgy, grubby, mucky even dare I say, unsanitary as she wants.

Anyway, I can always wash her later because as you know... 

I am a clean freak.

To Experiencing

To Fun

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