What mainstream things do you NOT allow your children to do?

Bufger

valk_scot wrote: »

From my own point of view I don't want dirty feet in the main section of the trolly near my food, wrapped or not. I don't want pavement muck and germs on the tins and bags, that would mean having to wash every tin before I opened it, or the top of every bottle before I allowed my kids to drink from them and what about bottles of stuff like ketchup which is used at the table? I do wipe down tops and tins, I'd rather not have to disinfect them as well. That's a whole level of extra and unnecessary dirt I don't want inflicted on me for the sake of something that's forbidden by the supermarkets anyway.

A bit of dirt is good for you. How will your immune system learn to fight off invaders if you live in a super sterile world. I've never bothered about the tops of tins or bottles and my 5 second rule is more like 8 seconds but my sickness record at work shows im hardly ever ill.

The more sterile this world gets the more deadly basic infections and bugs get (maybe slightly overdone it there but you get the message)

peachyprice

Bufger wrote: »

A bit of dirt is good for you. How will your immune system learn to fight off invaders if you live in a super sterile world. I've never bothered about the tops of tins or bottles and my 5 second rule is more like 8 seconds but my sickness record at work shows im hardly ever ill.

The more sterile this world gets the more deadly basic infections and bugs get (maybe slightly overdone it there but you get the message)

I agree with you 100% but dog poop from shoes really is a step too far, even for me.

valk_scot

thorsoak wrote: »

To throw a curved ball into this debate - at what age do you let your children decide for themselves who they will see/play with, what activities they will do, when are they allowed to go to places by themselves, join in more adult activities?

By "adult activities", I'm thinking of my DGS, who at the age of 14, was considered by my DD and DSIL to be old enough to join a demonstration in support of shelter for the homeless .....in one of the more prosperous areas of New England. And the fact that my parents allowed me and my sister to join one of the Aldermaston marches in the late 50s when I would have been 15, and my sister 13 ....despite the fact that my father worked for AWRE!

They've always had their own opinions on this sort of thing, I'm pleased to say. I always have the final say and I'll continue to do so till they're 18 (and possibly beyond, in some cases, if they're still in my house) but as to things like choosing friends they've always been allowed to do so unless the
friend was wildly inappropriate. (Have talked about this on other thread.)

As to activities if they want to try something I'll let them if it's affordable and we can fit it in, my only caveat is that if they've signed up for a course of activity they've got to go for the whole course rather than announce they're bored after the second session. I've had a couple of times though I've had doubts as to the safety/organisation/worth the money factor of an activity, I would explain to them in this sort of case why I was saying no and try to find a satisfactory alternative.

Going out on own? Around here it's normal to start walking to school at around age seven and things start to open up from there in a slow and carefully monitored fashion. There's a definate boundary line and list of approved places for 11 year old DD where she's allowed to go and time for coming home is set before she goes out, depending on day of week, time of dusk and what else is on. DS is 16, the boundaries are far looser for him and I like to know roughly what he's up to and where he is. He's still got to be home when I say so though!

Adult activities? Depends what. I'd let DS go to a demo or protest in principle, I wouldn't let him go to one that had a strong chance of turning horribly violent. I'm not yet at the point of letting him go to festivals that involve an overnight stay. Next year though when he's not quite 18 I'm allowing him to go to the Netherlands with his mates for two weeks of camping, including a week near Amsterdam in a young person's campsite. I was the same age when my mum let me first go abroad with pals and he's (possibly!) more sensible than me, as well as being a very big lad that can look out for himself.

It depends on more factors than age, like all these things.

valk_scot

Bufger wrote: »

A bit of dirt is good for you. How will your immune system learn to fight off invaders if you live in a super sterile world. I've never bothered about the tops of tins or bottles and my 5 second rule is more like 8 seconds but my sickness record at work shows im hardly ever ill.

The more sterile this world gets the more deadly basic infections and bugs get (maybe slightly overdone it there but you get the message)

We've all got great immune systems, we hardly ever get ill round here and my kids's attendance records at school are almost perfect, unlike many of their friends who seem to get everything going. I put this down to (a) not being afraid of normal dirty things like outdoor activities, garden dirt and chewing things they find on the carpet. (When they were younger, they don't chew them now!)

On the other hand I've always been a fanatic for hand washing after the toilet, when they come in from school/outside and also washing hands before eating or prepping food. This last is on the same page as not wanting shoe germs over the packaging of foodstuffs, what's the point of washing your hands then picking up a package that has been in contact with a mucky foot, unwrapping it and going on to cut it up with these germs on your hands? To say nothing of that package being on your clean worksurface as well.

Nope, the rule of thumb here is not to be afraid of being grubby and germs, but to avoid putting them in your mouth if a few basic hygine precautions can prevent this. And dirty feet in trollies is part of this. Unless the same people that let their kids in their trolley also let their kids walk on the kitchen worksurfaces in their shoes?

lostinrates

Bufger wrote: »

A bit of dirt is good for you. How will your immune system learn to fight off invaders if you live in a super sterile world. I've never bothered about the tops of tins or bottles and my 5 second rule is more like 8 seconds but my sickness record at work shows im hardly ever ill.

The more sterile this world gets the more deadly basic infections and bugs get (maybe slightly overdone it there but you get the message)

I totally agree a bit of dirt is healthy. It's something I strongly believe. However, I also believe there are some people it's very dangerous for....the acutely ill, those with immune problems caused by ill health or treatment for ill health. There food comes from supermarkets too, and while I always want to remind people food mainly 'grows in mud and poop' it doesn't grow in the kind of dirt on pavements...stuff people spit up, etc etc.

Of course, peoe with such issues need to make sure that their food and homes are as protected as possible themselves, applying more cautious hygiene etc, but there is no need to make it more hazardous than it has to be.

Bufger

valk_scot wrote: »

We've all got great immune systems, we hardly ever get ill round here and my kids's attendance records at school are almost perfect, unlike many of their friends who seem to get everything going. I put this down to (a) not being afraid of normal dirty things like outdoor activities, garden dirt and chewing things they find on the carpet. (When they were younger, they don't chew them now!)

On the other hand I've always been a fanatic for hand washing after the toilet, when they come in from school/outside and also washing hands before eating or prepping food. This last is on the same page as not wanting shoe germs over the packaging of foodstuffs, what's the point of washing your hands then picking up a package that has been in contact with a mucky foot, unwrapping it and going on to cut it up with these germs on your hands? To say nothing of that package being on your clean worksurface as well.

Nope, the rule of thumb here is not to be afraid of being grubby and germs, but to avoid putting them in your mouth if a few basic hygine precautions can prevent this. And dirty feet in trollies is part of this. Unless the same people that let their kids in their trolley also let their kids walk on the kitchen worksurfaces in their shoes?

If you really knew the truth behind food storage then a mucky foot would be the least of your worries. Think of many palets and cages of tins/bottles in outdoor covered warehousing areas - the kind of places rodents are attracted to as there is a very good chance spoilt food or spillages are available. Hantavirus is fairly rare as not all rodents carry it but imagine how many must walk over those tins for the single one to contaminate it with a virus.

valk_scot

Bufger wrote: »

If you really knew the truth behind food storage then a mucky foot would be the least of your worries. Think of many palets and cages of tins/bottles in outdoor covered warehousing areas - the kind of places rodents are attracted to as there is a very good chance spoilt food or spillages are available. Hantavirus is fairly rare as not all rodents carry it but imagine how many must walk over those tins for the single one to contaminate it with a virus.

Another good reason for cleaning the outside of tins and bottles before use then, surely?

Bufger

Not for me! we've co-existed in close proximity to rodents for centuries. I dont worry about trivial things, you can spend months or years of your life cleaning everything and a big dirty bus comes along and takes you out.

basic washing hands and cleaning work surfaces will do for me.

shegirl

julie2710 wrote: »

I've read through this thread with interest. I try not to let my two boys have too many sweets or biscuits but they do have them.

I went for ages with a fizzy drink ban and I found every time they went to a party if I wasn't present they went for the lemonade option. So I bit the bullet and bought a cheap (17p) bottle and sat it on the side in the kitchen. There was such excitement when they spotted it and obviously had a glass of lemonade with their tea.

That was a month ago and I now have about 3/4 a bottle of flat lemonade sat on the side in the kitchen as they quickly reverted back to their diluted juice, milk or water :eek: A lesson learned for me I think

Lol.Fizzy at a party is a treat,leaving it that way is all good,it's special for them

A bugbear of mine is people who insist on perfectly healthy parties for kids.I find it sad.It's a party,nothing wrong with treats.'Tis all about moderation

dawn_rose

fluffymuffy wrote: »

At DD's last primary school I used to watch a gang of mothers spitting outside the school gate while waiting for their children. It turned my stomach but I think it might be culturally normal for them.

Thats fowl i can't abide people who spit all over the place. x