Friday 23 September 2011

Germ control

I am completely neurotic about germs. When out in public I will not touch the buttons on a pedestrian crossing, or shop door handles, or the keypad on cash machines, or anything else that the masses might have put their grubby mitts on. I will always use my sleeve. And I would certainly never touch the flush handle in a public toilet, or the taps, or the button on the hand dryer, without using a piece of loo paper.

I had mild panics about Betty starting school and the fact that my 'germ control' would be out of my hands. And sure enough, just two weeks into the term Betty, who is not a sickly child, got a sickness bug. This has only further fuelled my anxieties about all the grotty germs lurking at school. Lots of little people, clumsily wiping their bottoms, not washing their hands properly, holding hands, sticking their fingers up their noses, and into their mouths, and then sharing each others sandwiches.

The vomitting occured just before we were about to leave the house for school on Tuesday morning, when Betty complained of a stomach ache. I naturally thought she was making it up, and ushered her towards the front door. She then promptly projectile vomitted all over me. Meanwhile a bemused Dolly watched on from the car.

Betty sobbed and begged me not to send her to school. Crikey, she must have a really low opinion of me, I thought to myself. I calmed her down, mainly by helping her identify what was in her sick and why it was the colour it was, and soothingly assured her that I would not be sending her to school.

I naively imagined her staying in bed all day, with a flannel on her head, sipping water and watching DVDs, leaving me to get on with all the work I had planned on the only full child-free day I get a week.

After twenty minutes of lying tucked up in bed in her pyjamas, Betty had basically made a full recovery. I walked into the room expecting her to be ailing, but found her making a den, wearing nothing but her gold tights and ballet shoes, and eating her way through a packet of chocolate biscuits. And it wasn't even 9.30am.

By 10.00am, although relieved that she was suddenly better, I think both Betty and I were wishing she was back at school. 'You are driving me nuts,' Betty told me.

8 comments:

sadie said...

the germ thing is the one big thing that scares the life out of me. Especially as I've caught my little angel sticking her paws in her piehole on the way home. I shriek out loudly 'DON'T DO THAT. GERMS!!', but does she care? Nope. I've given up fretting too much though. At least I can't see what goes on in that germ pit they call a school. I'm also on High Alert for Nits. Urgh. The charm of school!

love that Betty tells you you're driving her nuts. I get a really ugly face and the worlds 'you're getting on my nerves now'.

Nice.

xx

Expat mum said...

My mother taught primary school for decades and maintains that the kids who never got ill were the scruffiest, unkempt kids of the lot! If we never expose our kids to germs they won't have much immunity. I'm going to remind myself of this as my little guy goes down with what looks like a cold coming on, this weekend!

Potty Mummy said...

Sounds like the same vomiting bug we've had here - and at least you can comfort yourself with the fact that she's building up her immune system... I would like to add that my kids are NOT the scruffiest unkempt kids - as per EPM's comment above - despite that almost admission that I don't think all exposure to germs is a bad thing... Mind you, ask me again about it when I'm clearing up sick when the flu bug catches up with us...

Elsie Button said...

Tis true i know, exposure is good, but i can't bear vomit

PM, do you remember how neurotic i was about swine flu?! i was crazy, and you were the voice of reason

Emma @mummymummymum said...

I'm the same with germs. I'm quite lucky with Z he hardly ever seems to go to the toilet :-) My 3 year old however..hands everywhere. I can't watch! :-)

We were at a farm recently and she fed all the goats with her hands and then put them in her mouth before we could wash them! So far no ill effects though. :-)

Lorraine The Party Times said...

it is amazing how quickly they bounce back!!

Emma Phillips said...

I too am a little obsessed when it comes to germs. I use my knuckle to press the button at traffic lights and my elbow to turn on the hand dryer. I am more relaxed about my son collecting germs as I do believe it is useful for them to build up a resistance.

Emma Phillips
Our site:
Toddler Wellies

Kerri @ Baby Monitors Online said...

I don't like germs either, but I try not to obsess about it too much because as others have said - some germs are okay as they help to build immunity. I never prepare food or eat without washing my hands first though, of course. And I do freak out a little when it comes to touching door handles etc in public places, but like I said, I try to not think about it :)