Question is if I am sane or mad.
When I was growing up my mum was nuts on use looking perfect, hair had to be combed, clothing tidy and clean. If we got a smug on our clothes she would not be pleased, rubbing at the stain and going on and on.
Now I am the mum, twin girls aged seven. Although I dress them nicely and cleanly they are free, no encouraged not to worry whether their clothes get dirty, wet, muddy or even torn.
Mum as I expect goes mad at me, yesterday (Saturday) went Blackpool and the girls ended up not only going into the sea with all their clothes on then throwing sand at each other but then walking down the prom in their socks ( what did people think).
Friend was over when they ended up covering themselves in paint and she found this very odd i allow them to do this. Today a neighbour came to report them splashing themselves in rain puddles in the field.
In fact I get pleasure seeing them come in the bottom of their white socks dirty, their clothes a mess, their hair all over the place, sometimes I even don't comb their hair at weekends. So am I normal or mad?
AIBU?
Children getting dirty, wet, messy
emma0134 · 03/10/2011 00:06
muddy, wet and dirty are all a part of a normal childhood IMO - as long as they are not also cold and uncomfortable. If we are outside for a proper outing three seasons out of four mine wear something that keeps them warm and/or dry, wetsuits on the beach as they WILL go in, or waterproofs for puddles. I don't bother in high summer as they won't be cold even if they are soaking. But have to say it gets my goat seeing kids freezing and wet in January in totally useless shoes and no coat. But that's another thread 
Reading back over some of the other posts perhaps it is my meangreen side which comes into operation - I don't like the concept of buying new socks every week or buying clothes that will 'go in the bin' 
- I have always bought mostly second hand, minimise loads of washing per week, use 'eco' washing stuff and most things go back to the charity shop or are passed on to friends when I have finished with them.
the other day my dcs 4, 3 and 1 were playin with the sand and water in the park, i was sittin with a friend, and she asked me if i could take my dcs out as it was makin her ds sad, because she wouldnt allow him in, incase he ets dirty! 
and there was my one year old covered in mud and sand......
wordfactory, nice image of everyone screaming (you at them, they at their kids) 
What I know about girls is that THEY decide what to wear (sparkly flipflops and party dress on a day to the beach or park sounds "normal" to me, if I look at my nieces).
The parents don't get a say in this!
Whoreshairknickers I don't understand the part of your post that says A doctor once said 'A dirty child is a healthy child.' My brother never got dirty as a baby/toddler and as it turned out, had he been born now, he'd be dx'd with Asbergers...
Are children who are kept too clean more likely to develop Aspergers??
I do let DD get messy, but there is a line to draw imo. I send her to nursery in nursery clothes, ones which have already got paint on (been washed but paint remains) or if she is playing in sand, she'll wear 'old' clothes.
I don't mind DD jumping in muddy puddles if she has wellies on, but I don't let her jump in muddy puddles if she has shoes on.
I wouldn't wear my best suit for decorating my house, and DD doesn't wear nice clothes for playing in the dirt.
I would not be happy if DD regularly tore her clothes either...not so bothered about old paint stained clothes, but if she tore quite new clothes, I'd not be happy. I understand accidents happen, but to say you're not bothered if your DC tear their clothes is going abit too far, unless they can differentiate between their decent clothes and their messy clothes?
I know if I am taking DD out somewhere special, she can wear clean clothes, not stained painty muddy clothes, because I haven't yet found the secret to getting stubborn stains out of clothes with the use of washing powder and a washing machine. Has anyone else??
I think we have to remember that for a lot of our mothers washing was not an easy thing, most did not have automatic washing machine maybe twin tub or similar so you hads to be there my mother did washing twice a week, white load first then coloured alos had a spin drier no tumble drier and if wet had to put on airer
then there was no such thing as machine washable wool so all jumpers had to be hand washed which is why they were furious if school clothes got very muddy etc as they would have to be handwashed overnight and dried on radiator as most people only had 1 school skirt/trousers we changed into older clothes to do dirty play and had big apron things to paint
my mother never stopped us doing stuff you just had to change so jumping in puddles kicking up dired leaves in wellies and raincoat good fun doing same in school sunday best serious row asit would have given mother hours of work
I let DD do messy stuff all the time but not in her best stuff, she gets changed but doing loads of washing every day is not good for electric bill or environment, also i think buying new socks every week is a bit :(
Dd has 6 pairs of tights and 7 paiers of socks in size 3-5 I really expect to last longer than the end of next week especially with girls tights at £3 each but that's another thread
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