Wash your hands with soap please!
When my cousin sister told me that she was annoyed when her brother texted her telling her to wash her hands with soap before touching the baby, I could immediately relate (to her brother that is). It turned out that his daughter was having diarrhea and my cousin sister was playing with her niece before that. But it was definitely not my cousin sister’s fault because she knows to wash her hands with soap before touching any babies.
Now, why can I relate? I witness it myself. My in-laws likes to work in the garden. That’s good. Sometimes we go over in the evening and upon entering the front yard, FIL/MIL will be working in the garden. But once we go inside the house, he/she will join us too.
However, I notice that both never wash their hands with soap. FIL doesn’t wash the hand at all. Even after he brings out the garbage from the kitchen to the trashcan. MIL washes her hand with water only. Both likes to caress/stroke Brandon’s hair, body and hands upon coming in from the garden. I do not know what is the best way to approach them to tell them wash their hands with soap before touching little kid because it might transmit any germs/bacteria/parasites from the garden to my son. Both also work without gloves. Even with gloves, I would wash my hands and arms with water and soap immediately after I am done with garden work.
Today when they both came over to my house, they saw me putting cream on Brandon’s back and asked me what’s wrong. I told them he got some tiny pimples on the back … but don’t know what it is. Then MIL said yes, bugs like to bite on little kids because their meat is sweeter. Then I told her, kind hinted her that he won’t get much bugs because he never spend time in the garden/outdoor. And whenever he is outdoor, he wears shoes most of the time. MIL then said, “Ya, even us, we changed new clothing, wash our hands and make sure we are clean before we come over to your house.“
That’s the part that gets me. She might just say it but never really practise. She may washes her hands but with no soap. Is that clean? I witnessed it myself during the week, how many times they worked in the garden but never wash their hands with soap. Sometimes I kind hinted when I was over there when I see them returning inside from their garden. I tell Brandon to stay away first because grandma/grandpa needs to wash their hands (with soap I was hoping) … but that didn’t get to them. *sigh*
