Did You Give Birth To An Insensate Moron?
Lenore Skenazy at Free Range Kids posted a blog item entitled, "No Liquid Soap Allowed in Pre-School Bathroom: Children Might Drink It," based on a note from a reader:
Dear Free-Range Kids:So in my state the child care regulations state that children may be allowed to go to the bathroom by themselves if they can handle the whole process without help. This pretty much means kids 4 or 5 and older. But now the local licensing folks have ruled that you cannot leave the liquid hand soap in the bathroom. The kid has to come out and have the adult dispense the soap. This is all because the kid might put the soap in his or her mouth.
Putting aside the unlikelihood of this happening, if it did, the child would spit it out quickly and the small amount would do no harm. But the office seems to be going for zero risk, a really scary concept.
-Day Care Lady in New York
The problem is that no one will say 'No' to the legions of helicopter moms out there. They're the ones bringing insanity into everyone else's lives!!!
Robert W. at November 25, 2012 11:21 PM
My 23 month old daughter is allowed to wash her hands with liquid soap by herself (an adult standing by to keep order) in her daycare. All the children line up and take turns without incident. These kids learn the process for washing hands, and they all sing a little hand washing song to ensure the wash long enough. No once has a tot in her class died from soap poisoning, but we live in Japan, were common sense still exists.
shannon B at November 25, 2012 11:49 PM
In what world are they living in, that kids will drink liquid soap?
God most parents have trouble getting kids to eat vegetables.
A child might be curious and taste it, but nowhere near enough to cause any harm, they'll spit that nastiness right out.
Robert at November 26, 2012 1:08 AM
I dunno. That Dial vanilla yogurt body wash is awful tasty.
Radwaste at November 26, 2012 4:01 AM
Believe me children will not drink the soap. My mother forced my to taste soap. Why you ask? Well I wash a mouthy little kid. When I swore she would washed my mouth out with soap. Still to this day, I KNOW the taste of Ivory soap(TM. In both bar and liquid form, believe me when I say it is not habit forming. Hmm maybe that is why I generally avoid Ivory soap.
Really, are we so worried for the kids we are actually going to let things that are helpful be taken away from them. Can't have the kids using antibacterial wipes or liquid, they might drink it and get hammered. Sorry no soap either. I expect to have a high rate of cold, coughs, and flus at that school soon.
I wish my students actually believed in soap and hot water. Grubby little disease carriers.
John Paulson at November 26, 2012 4:28 AM
I realize that it is not very common, but my husband just sent a woman to rehab for liquid soap addiction. Evidently, she is not the first.
I do think however, that it indicates a person who is already addicted to alchohol and illustrates the desperation. I don't think anyone starts out on the hand soap.
Jen at November 26, 2012 4:44 AM
Fave comment from the post was from somebody called LTMG at 11:08, 24 November:
For Pete's sake, shouldn't the children's parents feel terribly insulted by the implication that their kids are that freaking dumb?
Old RPM Daddy at November 26, 2012 5:41 AM
Fave comment from the post was from somebody called LTMG at 11:08, 24 November:
Please don’t point out to these idiots that there is water (certainly more palatable than the soap) in the toilets that the kids might be tempted to drink. If the fools noticed and felt compelled to promulgate some new rule, one could only imagine how bizarre it could be.
I saw a Mythbusters once where they demonstrated that fecal matter gets on your toothbrush from flushing the toilet. Not just toothbrushes in your bathroom, either -- toothbrushes all over your home. Which suggests that pretty much everything else is covered in shit, too. But don't tell parents. They might forbid flushing.
MonicaP at November 26, 2012 7:36 AM
As a commenter at the article wondered: Are they going to ban blowing bubbles next?
Oh, the inanity!
Pricklypear at November 26, 2012 9:23 AM
Hand sanitizer is evil - but that's just because my family inherited my very dry skin. It is REQUIRED in the elementary school. I'd LOVE to go back to soap & water, but it is "too messy" and "takes too much time, and sanitizer is just as good" (unless, of course, you want to get paint, dirt, or glitter off you, not just move it around).
I can understand not giving them sanitizer - between the alcohol, drying effects, and potential to get into the eye if they did try to eat it. But soap???
Ugh!
Shannon M. Howell at November 26, 2012 9:31 AM
Here is a slightly embarrassing but totally true story about those liquid bath soaps. One day I was washing my face with my scrubby and had my face all lathered up with bubbles from the soap. For some reason, can't rember why I opened my mouth before I finished rinsing. I sucked in a bubble...not the soap...just a bubble and burned going down my throat. I kid you not, for two days my throat was sore as a result of swalowing that bubble and I will never forget the taste. Trust me, no kid is going drink that crap. It hurts like hell. When they say soap is caustic they mean it, don't be fooled by the smell.
As for hand sanitizer, that is the stuff they drink. Apparently, they have figured out how to distill the alcohol out of it and drink it. Right now, the girls love carrying it to school. My daughter has like three fancy holders and all the seasonal scents. I hate the stuff myself, but they don't get enough time to stop in the restroom between classes so they have to make do.
Sheep mommy at November 26, 2012 10:20 AM
So, all we need to do is find a way to get that liquid soap (or any other type of cleaner) in between the ears of these numbskulls to clean out the crap in their brains!
Charles at November 26, 2012 10:21 AM
Well many, many moons ago, I saw a white gumball rolling around on the floor, picked it up, and started chewing it.
I sat on the back stoop for thirty minutes spitting out the taste of a mothball. BTW, they're mostly wax. Not fun.
My sis knew about it, but my mother never did.
Jim P. at November 26, 2012 7:20 PM
Ok, here are the questions no one wants to answer:
- If no one is watching, how many people actually wash their hands after using the toilet?
- In my son's biology class, they found that the most bacteria in the bathroom were found around the sinks. Makes sense, because that whole area is always damp, an ideal breeding ground.
- I do not normally pee on my hands. If I've just showered anyway, my body is pretty clean. Touching the faucets, soap dispenser, etc. may actually make my hands dirtier.
a_random_guy at November 27, 2012 12:41 AM
Pricklypear asked: "As a commenter at the article wondered: Are they going to ban blowing bubbles next?" No, but Bubbles will have to wash up with liquid soap ...
Mr_Teflon at December 1, 2012 9:22 PM
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