The secret: If you make a big deal of your children picking their nose, then they'll just dig deeper!
I was recently out at a restaurant, waiting to be seated. I had the pleasure of watching Naomi interact with another little toddler, almost two years old. Things were going well until the sweet little girl started to pick her nose. Her father jumped in as if she were committing a crime, and told her to stop. At which point she did what any other toddler does when someone tells them to stop doing something: does it even more! :) The father grew very agitated, and the child escalated to a full-out tantrum because she just wanted to pick her nose and daddy wasn't letting her. The whole situation made me laugh. For a number of reasons.
Most kids pick their noses. And if you are an adult reading this, if you're being completely honest with yourself, you probably do it too! We've just learned that it's not appropriate to do it in public. But our precious children don't have the same social pretenses...those are learned. When my kiddos pick their noses, I just don't make a big deal out of it. And when they put that booger-covered finger right into their mouth...I don't even flinch. Why? Well...to start, the more dramatic I am about what they are doing...the more attention I give to it...the more they want to perform.
If I see them really digging away, I like to simply offer them a tissue. Isaac is now at an age where he will actually say, "No thank you, I'm gonna eat it." Okay, then...but please don't do it in front of others. I just make sure to not make a big deal of it. But the problem is that others do. I've had relatives say, "EWW! Gross! Don't pick your nose!" to Isaac. And can you guess what he does? He puts it in even further while laughing. It becomes a source of attention...and he loves it.
Let's face it...nose-picking is completely natural. There is even a doctor in Austria who claims that taking it a step further and putting what you pick into your mouth can actually have medical benefits! Haha! :) But honestly...is it really worth fighting over it with your toddler? Just offer her a tissue and if she declines, then take her to the bathroom to wash her hands after she's finished! Or if you're like me, just carry a bottle of hand-sanitizer and use it right there. I wouldn't discourage the behavior, but rather, teach them how and where it is appropriate. You'll feel better, and well...so will your kiddos. :)
Most kids pick their noses. And if you are an adult reading this, if you're being completely honest with yourself, you probably do it too! We've just learned that it's not appropriate to do it in public. But our precious children don't have the same social pretenses...those are learned. When my kiddos pick their noses, I just don't make a big deal out of it. And when they put that booger-covered finger right into their mouth...I don't even flinch. Why? Well...to start, the more dramatic I am about what they are doing...the more attention I give to it...the more they want to perform.
If I see them really digging away, I like to simply offer them a tissue. Isaac is now at an age where he will actually say, "No thank you, I'm gonna eat it." Okay, then...but please don't do it in front of others. I just make sure to not make a big deal of it. But the problem is that others do. I've had relatives say, "EWW! Gross! Don't pick your nose!" to Isaac. And can you guess what he does? He puts it in even further while laughing. It becomes a source of attention...and he loves it.
Let's face it...nose-picking is completely natural. There is even a doctor in Austria who claims that taking it a step further and putting what you pick into your mouth can actually have medical benefits! Haha! :) But honestly...is it really worth fighting over it with your toddler? Just offer her a tissue and if she declines, then take her to the bathroom to wash her hands after she's finished! Or if you're like me, just carry a bottle of hand-sanitizer and use it right there. I wouldn't discourage the behavior, but rather, teach them how and where it is appropriate. You'll feel better, and well...so will your kiddos. :)
hilarious! looking forward to reading more of your posts - added it to my feed but haven't had time - this is the first and well it's fun(ny) :)
ReplyDeletehahaha or ewwwwwwwwww :) I LOVE telling the story of a little girl, about 4 years old, standing at the ballet barre during parent "watch" day at dance lessons. She simply would NOT follow the teacher or the class as they proudly showed all of the parents their routine. No, not my daughter. She was quite busy and quite satisfied, I might add, with the activity going on between her nose and her mouth. I sat quietly in my chair and very calmly asked my child on the ride home "which do you prefer - ballet lessons or nose picking?" LESLIE very confidently said "NOSE PICKING!" And that was the end of ballet as we knew it. :)
ReplyDeleteHAHA! Thanks, Mom!! So maybe I've been a little bent toward nose-picking throughout my life! Thanks for giving me the choice!! :) Haha!!
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