My theory:  If you allow children to live in an environment that is NOT germ-free, then their immune systems have the opportunity to grow and be strenthened.  If the growth of their immune systems is stunted by anti-bacterial soap and hand sanitizers, then when a particle of dust, or a strand of cat hair laden with cat-saliva enters the scene, the immune system, being out of practice, over-reacts and the body goes hay-wire.

(My preference for words like “hay-wire” may be why I don’t write for medical journals.)

However, I do not believe we should live a filthy, soap-free existence.  I think we have to maintain a healthy balance between cleanliness and sterilization.  I don’t think it does our kids any good to NOT wash our hands after changing a dirty diaper.  Especially if we then proceed to make their lunch.  We still need soap.

(Maybe if we didn’t live 98% of our lives shut inside stuffy buildings where the sun’s natural anti-bacterial rays cannot penetrate we wouldn’t need as much soap.)

Anyway, that’s just my theory and I was wondering if anyone else has these same thoughts?  Have there been any studies on the relationship between our culture’s current anti-bacterial madness and the rise of allergies?

Twenty-five years is more life than
twenty-four one-year-olds,
twelve two-year-olds,
eight three-year-olds,
six four-year-olds.

Twenty-five years is more existence than
four six-year-olds,
three eight-year-olds,
two twelve-year-olds,
one twenty-four-year-old.

There’s a lot of life there. A lot of existence. A lot of years.

When you put it that way.

And I’m just getting started.