My 1-year-old is still very much in the “everything goes in my mouth” stage.
Toys, books, the corner of a chair.
It’s all fine when we’re just at home. But when I take my son to Neidhammer Coffee — a favorite Saturday morning hangout — and he starts chomping on those magnetic tiles, my instinct is to rush over there as fast as I can and take it away.
To be clear, I’ve almost given up on protecting him from germ overload. I see no point. I’m defeated.
But what about the other parents with kids playing? Do they look at me in disgust, wondering how in the world I could let my child put shared toys in his mouth for even a second?
Sometimes I dramatize the whole thing just to demonstrate that I’m paying attention and care. I might roll my eyes, show him the toy and make a point to say “no.”
Then the other parents can do a silent applause for me, dad of the year who’s just doing his part.
I’m starting to relax on this without totally checking out. I can’t just let my kid slobber over everything. But I’m also not sprinting to the scene of the crime anymore.
My thinking is that if we’re bringing our kids to these shared play spaces, the risks are understood. It’s gross, all of it, and I won’t allow my kid to release his microbes unchecked.
But I’m finishing this sip of decaf tea first.
Tyler Fenwick is the dad of a toddler who demands his parents read him approximately 300 books per day. You can reach Tyler at tyler.fenwick@mirrorindy.org.
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