Foul Play
Posted by Danielle Bean in Health on Friday, August 29, 2008 11:20 AM
The other day, while I was making dinner, Raphael’s small face appeared at the window.
“Come and take a picture of me, Mama,” he said. “A picture with my pie.”
I can never turn down requests like these. I grabbed the camera and headed out to find him at work in his “kitchen.”
I think that some of the scenes I happen upon outdoors at my house might make some moms uneasy. There are a lot of bare feet. And there’s always plenty of dirt. On hands and faces, on legs and clothing. The bath water at the end of a busy, outdoor day at our house is dark and dirty stuff indeed.
Don’t get me wrong—I love my instant hand sanitizer
Dirty kids are happy kids, I think. And I have science to back me up in that opinion.
Exposure to dirt may be a way to lift mood as well as boost the immune system, UK scientists say. Lung cancer patients treated with “friendly” bacteria normally found in the soil have anecdotally reported improvements in their quality of life. Mice exposed to the same bacteria made more of the brain’s “happy” chemical serotonin.
I often find that time spent outdoors is a healthy antidote to my own bad moods. And most gardeners will tell you that getting your hands in soil can be downright therapeutic.
Turns out our dirty little kids are onto something. Maybe we should all be a little less afraid of getting dirty. Dirt pies and mud cakes—bring it on!
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