The other day, I was in the bathroom flossing my 5 year old, Bency’s teeth when he told me, “You know Mom, I have hair in my nose. I’ve seen it. I tipped my head back and there was hair in MY nose!”
I told Bency that everyone has hair in their nose. I explained that it is a precaution against germs and that the hair catches the germs on them so they can’t get in our body (keep in mind Bency has a cold right now, so we’ve been talking a lot about germs). I also told him that since the hair in our nose is covered with germs we must continually blow our nose into a tissue to get the germs out. We should never stick our finger up our nose and wipe it on something (i.e. the kitchen table) or eat it because we are spreading germs to everyone else and our self.
Bency asked, “What happens if all the hair falls out of your nose?”
I told him that would not happen and then my mind began to wander….
“Why do men get MORE and LONGER nose hair as they get older?? Do they have more germs to fight off? Do they have lower immune systems? This is seriously something I need to google.”
In the midst of my pondering Bency began tugging on my shirt and saying, “But Mom!!!! What if all of our nose hair falls out??? Just what if it does????
I told him that would not happen and then my mind began to wander again….
“I think I am really brilliant! Bency is taking this information really seriously! He’s still at the stage in his cold where his nose is still running but it will soon turn to the booger stage. I have been worried about this stage. I don’t want him to be the kid picking his nose in Kindergarten. I’ve told him nose picking is gross but…. “gross” does not turn boys off; this only fuels them more. I think this “germs in your nose thing” is really going to work and deter him from being the nose picker in class.”
Again, there’s a tug on my shirt and Bency asks once again, “Okay, maybe it doesn’t usually happen but what if one time…just ONE time…it happens…and all the hair falls out of my nose and ALL of the germs get sucked into my body???”
I replied with, “Well, I would get some glue and glue all your nose hair back in for you!” (Bency has a lot of strange fears and dwells on everything… so this was the best I could come up with to squelch his new nightmare.)
Bency was satisfied with this answer.
you handled it beautifully 🙂 true about boys not getting turned off by gross! my two boys are exactly like that. hahaha!
Thanks! Oh those boys are something else!!!
If we wrote down all the funny stories and things we make up to explain things to our kids in a way that makes sense to them and makes them feel safe in the world….every parent would have an amazingly amusing book! I mean, really, who thinks to write about nose hairs but a parent whose kid asks them about nose hairs?!
I know right??!!! I am about 98% certain I never would have broached the nose hair lesson had it not been asked of me!!! Thank god for amusing questions!!!
And why is it that as men get older and deafer, their ear hairs get thicker? Isn’t the sound already muffled enough? Although, I have noticed their ears also get bigger. Much bigger.
By the way, I have nominated you for a brand new award!! You can find the link here:
http://theembiggensproject.wordpress.com/2012/09/20/the-you-make-my-day-award/
Well, first of all thank you so much for the award nomination!!! You definitely make my day, let me tell you!!! You are one funny girl!!! Second of all, I realize us women are not out of the woods on strange things that happen to us as we age but that ear thing with men is BAFFLING!!! I realize our butts can bigger but that’s from eating too much food…why do their ears get bigger???? Now you’re going to have me googling more stuff!!! haha!!! Thanks again!!!
You are very welcome! Our minds seem to work in the same mysterious way!
My father-in-law has HUGE ears…I hope for my husband’s sake, it isn’t a genetic thing! I might find myself married to Dumbo a few years down the line. lol.
Hahahaha! Love it!!! A clever little man and very good answers you gave him!
Oh, thank you!!! He keeps me on my toes, that’s for sure!!!
This all sounds so familiar. And – hey – if you ever figure out why men’s nose and ear hair gets longer when they age and what can be done to stop it let me know. I recently bought my husband a trimmer. He was so excited. Yeah….we are pathetic.
haha!!! It’s always the little things in life that make us so happy!!!
That was cute and funny. Bless ’em and how they think 🙂 oh and thanks for the visit & like on Breaking Up!
Thanks, he is quite a character!!! I wish you the very best!
This is so funny! Nose hair, haha, who would have thought it could be a topic of conversation!
I know!!! We have the strangest conversations in our house!! I’m always wondering what is around the corner!!!