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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To feel sorry for children who are not allowed to get dirty?

119 replies

Falconi · 14/04/2014 13:04

The sun is finally shining, children can finally have fun at playgrounds and parks and I have seen to many parents getting streesed over their kids getting their clothes dirty:(.
My friend didn't allow her daughter play with chalk the other day and now my neighbour just screamed at his daughter face that she is FILTHY but she isn't....she just has been playing at a very clean playground however with a long white skirt and flip flops on... And she does look clean!
Just put old 'primark' clothes on your kids and let them play on their holidays ffs.

OP posts:
ddubsgirl77 · 14/04/2014 17:18

also reminds me of when twins were at nursery and 1 mum there was obsessed with brands etc and had a hissy fit when her twins came out covered in paint over their £80 boots and expensive clothes Grin

Whereisegg · 14/04/2014 17:35

billy I was just about to post the same thing.
It made me so Sad to see.

MiaowTheCat · 14/04/2014 17:41

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

drnoitall · 14/04/2014 17:51

Oh no. I have a sister like this, drives me to embarrassment, her shouting, keep off the mud, don't to get your trainers dirty, don't scuff your trainers, don't get your knees dirty, ffs that's all in the park!
Family picnicked and played by/in a stream one summer, some of the dc were happily getting wet and splashing, she looked at hers and growled through gritted teeth, "don't you bloody well dare".

Aeroflotgirl · 14/04/2014 18:04

Yanbu how sad, just put your child in old cloths to play, good clothes are for going out.

BeaWheesht · 14/04/2014 18:05

miaow wow you've been storing that up for a while?

ZingSweetCoconut · 14/04/2014 18:21

miaow

I'm with you on that though.

ours go to church wearing nice clothes, because that's appropriate.
yesterday we came home so they could get changed into play clothes because we went to PIL's for lunch and they always end up looking like pigs in a mudbath.
(the kids, not my PILs!Grin )

I'm happy because they had a good time AND because the nice clothes are not wrecked.

you need to sort this with your mother, she is not being helpful, to put it nicely.
(Or if you need a hand I'm happy to talk to her! Wink )

elahrairahforprimeminister · 14/04/2014 18:35

We have a White Horse near us (big hill, White Horse made of chalk) and go up there for walks very often.

Very nice, but there's lots of sheep so it's covered in poop.

The number of parents up there with children constantly nagging, "Mind the poo!" "Don't step in the poo!" "Watch out! Poo!!" astounds me.

The floor is made of poo! Why are they there?

Confused
Saski · 14/04/2014 18:53

^We were just at the White Horse in Wiltshire today!!!!

crypticbow08 · 14/04/2014 18:59

Yanbu ds and his 2 friends have been playing out in the garden today and decided they wanted to move the trampoline so they could dig for worms in the mud patch underneath :D they were all covered from head to toe but they loved it! Luckily both other parents weren't bothered either!

weatherall · 14/04/2014 19:02

I've not noticed this. Are parents really like this?

Aren't some germs good for kids?

elahrairahforprimeminister · 14/04/2014 19:02

We were just at the White Horse in Wiltshire today!!!!

Westbury??

Saski · 14/04/2014 19:05

That sounds right, close to Bath?

elahrairahforprimeminister · 14/04/2014 19:09

Yup!

That'll be my local.

Wink

You know when Willow went batshit-crazy in series 6 of Buffy and Giles brought her to the UK to calm her down? One of the scenes was filmed just below the Westbury White Horse.

MarchOnToApril · 14/04/2014 19:10

It's just down to economics for us, if they are in 'good clothes' they need to be reasonably sensible and clean. So today, out in a museum on a special day out you'd have heard me say to my 3 yr old 'up off the floor, you're in your new pants' and probably would think I was overbearing and a clean freak.
I'm not though and for the next few weeks they'll wear their play clothes everyday for half term and they can get as mucky as they like.
When they are in good clothes they need to learn to look after them and value them, because if they get ruined they won't be replaced until they are outgrown.

CheesyBadger · 14/04/2014 19:11

Just about to put filthy dd (3) in the bath. Blissful dirt filled day!

WutheringTights · 14/04/2014 19:11

My DS (15 months) seems to have a dirt force field. Today he's eaten various mucky foods (wearing a bib though) and run/ crawled around the park all afternoon, and, with the exception of a slightly grubby face from falling over face first, he's pretty much pristine. And he only has a bath twice a week to avoid drying out his skin.

WellThatsLife · 14/04/2014 19:32

My two look tidy when we leave the house, what they look like 30 mins later is an entirely different matter!

picklepen · 14/04/2014 19:45

I've helped with our church holiday clubs over the years- mostly cooking... Which involved the children rolling up sleeves and mixing everything by hand when I did it. But I often couldn't if there were any of their mums 'helping'. At its worst 'helping' involved sitting beside the table chatting to each other (ignoring me) and yelling at DCs when they went anywhere near the flour.Confused All the other children were affected by this.Angry

But while I have an image of DS growing into a mud-covered grin-barrel I do wonder... DH used to not go into the garden over winter because he didn't like mud. What would I do if my PFB felt the same?

TinyTear · 14/04/2014 20:38

Peppa Pig is useful for one thing. My 2yo knows that to jump in muddy puddles you must wear your boots.

MrsMook · 14/04/2014 21:50

DS1 has had a fantastic time sitting shoulder deep in a hole in the garden today, and is now wearing "gruffalo" crumble that we made together. Unless it's an ultra special occasion, his usual wardrobe of clothes seems to cope well with the rigours of toddler life.

When his cousins come to visit, they're in matching outfits and told to keep clean. Recently at a birthday party it was waistcoats and ties. Seems like more stress than it's worth for anyone involved. They get barred from playgrounds on visits.

I've seen plenty of children at the local playground being told what they can't do. I don't understand that one. Why take them somewhere like that on a dampish day if you have an interest in keeping them clean? We also have to spell out to Brownie parents to pack clothes that they really don't care about using again. They rarely get that trashed, but we've had complaints and want to cover ourselves.

Original poster
Falconi · 14/04/2014 21:53

MiaowTheCat Mon 14-Apr-14 17:41:36
Why do you let your mum tells you what to do??

The 2 examples I gave, the first one, friend came with her kids to meet me at my nearby playground, she left the house just for this purpose, why dress the kids in such nice clothes they can't even play with chalk?
The second one: taking a 7 year old wearing flip flops and white skirt to a playground seems crazy to me. Screaming at the girl that she is filthy when she clearly isn't is just crazy.

My daughter picks her clothes and does the most weirds colour/pattern combinations, I love it, however I insist in comfortable shoes for running and climbing and no party dresses outside parties. She generally wears hand me downs, eBay and charity shop clothes though.

OP posts:
Gullygirl · 15/04/2014 00:32

Without exception, the kids we know who are never allowed to get a bit grubby are the ones who are always coming down with colds.
Childhood is a time for playing, not for sitting still and keeping clean.

stopgap · 15/04/2014 01:24

This morning, in the garden:

Ministopgap: "Mummy, look, I throw acorns!"
Stopgap stares down at acorns: "Oh, erm, that's deer poo, not acorns."

I might have washed his hands when we went in, though I can't be certain. Blush

In my defence, I do a nightly bath for my boys, which is absolutely necessary for my two-year-old as he spends his days coating himself in sand, leaves, mud (and shit, apparently).

Pumpkinette · 15/04/2014 01:31

My DD (4.5) will only get dirty if she is wearing her new / best clothes. Seriously I have everyday inexpensive play clothes and she will keep them immaculate (or 99% clean) despite running around in the mud, climbing over logs, going to the park / eating icecream / crawling around on her hands and knees. Etc.

If I put her in her good clothes or a new outfit I can guarantee that within 5 minutes she will have it covered in mud / chocolate/ felt tip pen or will fall and graze her knee causing blood stains and rips to her trousers/ tights. No idea how she manages it, but she does. I have learned now that for things like birthday parties and nursery photo day to take a complete change of outfit with me as by the time we arrive at venue I will need to change her.

I do admit I will stop her running through mud and puddles if she has on canvas shoes. (Like today as it was nice and sunny but park had a few lingering mud pits) I don't drive and we use public transport or walk so wet feet on arrival to the park would stay wet until we got home (nearest park is a 45 minute bus journey away) It's not good for you to walk around with cold, soaking wet feet for hours so I do vito that.