Thunderstorms have been a regular occurrence in our part of the US this spring. While we’ve not had near as much rain as the poor people in Arkansas or Iowa, we have been getting enough for giant puddles. For two little girls with sparkly rain boots, these puddles are an opportunity, not an annoyance. They spent almost an hour today splashing in dirty puddles, in dresses and boots, and it got me thinking.

I never see kids making mud pies anymore.

Rarely do I see see kids getting dirty.

I hear parents scolding to stay clean but rarely the call to make a mess.

I’m not if this comes from an obsession with hygiene, not wanting to be bothered by “dirty” kids or clothes, or a combination of the two. But it is any wonder that kids today lack imagination and spend more time than ever in front of a screen?

It’s so sad.

Kids should get dirty. Make messes. Splash in puddles. And if that means that, at the end of the day, you have to wash soggy socks and dirty dresses? BIG DEAL. They’re going to grow out of those clothes faster than you want them to anyway. (And I’ve got a great natural laundry detergent recipe you can snap up here.) Exploration, messes, and the “dirty” parts of life help kids grow and are vital for early development. They’re little sponges, analyzing our own behaviors. What we’re focused on is what they’ll learn to focus on. Do you want them focused on having fun, or focused on the “consequences” of messes?

For me, I want my girls to enjoy being girls, even when it means launching two-feet-first into giant mudpuddles. 

So on this beautiful, wet Sunday I challenge you to go make a mess and get dirty with your kids.

I bet you’ll even manage to have some fun.