Spelunking Safety: Nasal Edition

Spelunking Safety: Nasal Edition

Wednesday, June 3, 2009

filed under: gay uncle

Gay Uncle Brett Berk: It's allergy season, which means that I'm all schmutzig. The only relief seems to come at night when the contents of my nose cake up for the duration of my slumber. Once morning arises, this naturally brings up the issue of getting that stuff out of there. How does this connect to young children? Well, since they're constantly acquiring germs from other kids, they deal with Gunk-in-the-Trunk (as in Elephant's trunk) all the time. And while a tissue is great when they have a runny or stuffy nose, I believe that nothing trumps a finger for excavating the hard clumpy stuff. You know what I'm talking about. Nose Picking.

Now I believe in some level of propriety, so I don't want to eat dinner with a kid whose finger is permanently inserted in their nostril. But I think it's fine to let your kid dig around in their schnoz away from the prying eyes of the general public. (You can decide if this includes you or not.) Frankly, teaching them to self-pick is a hell of a lot less grody than having to go spelunking in there yourself. Just be sure to alert them as to where you believe nasal mining is acceptable, and where it isn't. And in the not-okay places, you can teach them to hide their activities behind what I like to call The Social Shroud (Kleenex).

Finally, if your kid is going to dive in unprotected, make sure their nails are clipped -- we don't need any more blood on our hands in this country -- and that they wash their mitts before and after; finger-to-nose contact is one of the top means by which colds are transmitted. (Allergies, sadly, are non-transferable.)

Brett Berk, M.S. Ed. has worked with young children and their families for over 20 years--as a classroom teacher, preschool director, and research consultant--and is the author of "The Gay Uncle's Guide to Parenting."

3 comments so far | Post a comment now >>

Nasal SpeLunking is a Child’s way of trying to deal with their Enviro Allergies. While Adults may give the Child a “Social Pass” when they do it .. It is Important for the Allergy Parent (Allergies are inHerited) to TEST their Child for the Presence / Progression of Allergy MARCH / Disease. UnTreated Allergy MARCH leads a Child on a LifeTime Slippery Slope of multiple “Allergy Driven” Diseases ( Allergic Asthma to name one), recalcitrant Health Issues & compromised Quality of Life. DropYourAllergies.com is Committed to STOPPING Your Child’s Allergy MARCH with 6 Months of FREE Immuno-Allergy DROPs. Following a visit to Your Primary Dr. and an Allergy Blood Test > Your Dr. can Prescribe Your Child’s FREE Immuno-Allergy DROPs which are Custom Formulated to Neutralize > Your Child’s “Test Identified” Offending Seasonal & year-round allergens. The Time is NOW > Drop YOUR Allergies & Breathe-IN-Life > For Your Child and their Allergic Parent. Best Health = Wealth Regards, Stephen

- Stephen

Posted 06/03/09 12:05 PM

I tried this great new program with my kids called Germy Wormy Germ Smart. It helped even my 3 year old understand how germs spread and how to NOT spread germs. It was so much fun, and it was amazing how quickly they learned healthier hygiene habits!

- Bree Hill

Posted 06/04/09 01:17 AM

Ever notice kids pick their nose when they are in a contemplative mode? Maybe it’s the sightlessness of the adventure—gotta visualize what’s going on there. If that crusty stuff is a problem them=n saline spray helps keep the body tiisue and the buggers moist. Also, for parents who worry about irritation there is boroleum ointment, a product that’s been available for over 100 years. It has camphor and menthol and white petroleum and it makes your nose feel all better..

- tobin

Posted 06/04/09 07:38 AM