"Take off shoes, wash hands"

By Heather

by Heather

You could accuse me of being a little obsessed with washing my hands. Some of my friends have definitely whispered it behind my back when I’m, no doubt, off washing my hands. But I would argue that I’m not really a crazy germophobe but that I simply practice the good hygiene that most of us already know (but tend to ignore).

Case in point: I wash my hands before eating at a restaurant. Is that too much? When you go to a restaurant, do you head immediately to the restroom to wash hands? Do you open the door with a paper towel before rejoining your friends? What if you just got off the bus to get there? What if you’re eating sushi or burgers (or something else with your hands)? It doesn’t sound “crazy” when I’m writing it out, but I know that this behavior is not ingrained in any of my dining companions.

When my second son was born, our big boy, Holden, was less than two years old but our pediatrician suggested putting him in charge of making everyone wash their hands before touching the new baby. I loved it! I could make him the bad cop whenever we had friends and relatives visit. Who can resist a little munchkin showing them the sink? Nobody.

We’ve continued on with the house rule of washing our hands whenever we come home. The boys will recite, “take off shoes, wash hands” as our neat-freak family mantra each time we come through the door. But it works.

Of course, I realize that they’re still just as likely to lick a public bike rack (yes, it happened!) as they are to say “excuse me, where’s the hand soap?” but at least we have a foundation for clean hands and it’s becoming a habit. And safety doesn’t take root unless it becomes a habit.