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.
Bency at age 2 1/2 picking his nose…sorry for the poor photo quality…it’s probably better that way!
Motherhood Is An Art 