Entrance Hand Washing

Over two years ago I wrote a post about our family's habit of removing our shoes at the door, which my husband and I agreed to adopt as a family rule when we were first married. Later, we also decided to make hand washing an entrance habit when our first child was born at the beginning of flu season. This was, I think, one of the best habits to make part of our family culture, in terms of illness prevention . These two things we do when we get home--removing our shoes and washing our hands--are now so ingrained in our children that even the baby (currently almost 18 months) runs for the bathroom after we help him take off his shoes. And when friends come over, they are subjected to these rituals as well, most with a sense of perplexity... Sorry kids, but we like to prevent illness as much as we can. :)

Perhaps we are weird, but I would rather wash school, work, and store germs down the drain than catch everything everyone is exposed to! Not to mention all the dirt and grime that you actually can see...

As the CDC states: "Handwashing is easy to do and it's one of the most effective ways to prevent the spread of many types of infection and illness in all settings—from your home and workplace to child care facilities and hospitals. Clean hands can stop germs from spreading from one person to another and throughout an entire community."

So let's consider the simple things and keep our families healthy this season!