Outside

[Lee-Bee]

I think sending kids home dirty is absolutely fine. I do not try to keep them clean. I clean them up before going home and change them if need be. I don't think that is the issue here. Isn't it more about damaging snow gear and potentially hurting their knees in the warmer months?? I understand a parents concern with this. I think if an activity is going to damage clothing then other arrangements should be made. I think if an activity is going to hurt a child's knees, then thought needs to be given how to make this more comfortable, like placing foam mats down or something like that.

Old clothing or not, activities causing undue wear and tear isn't the best choice IMO. Wearing old clothing because there are paints and pens, dirt in a garden and puddles to jump in is unavoidable and part of play, but I think there are ways around avoiding damaging clothing and hurting knees on a play surface when there are alternatives.

As for your daughter, I don't think it really matters. It is a parents prerogative to choose whatever they like for their child and if she is scraping knees and getting dirty that is in your hands and a choice you make. This parent should also be afforded this. But that is on them. Its not that there is anything wrong with what they are doing or that these things don't happen during childhood, but just because you allow your daughter to do it doesn't justify the same thing happening to her kid as being okay for her. It's not right or wrong, just that this isn't okay with her when it is so clearly avoidable. I wouldn't worry too much about what she said. It sounds like she wanted to bring it up with you but maybe should have been more direct so you weren't left wondering exactly what her concern was. Now you know this kind of thing is a problem to mum, perhaps consider how you can avoid the scuffing of knees while playing on concrete. If I picked up my child and they had scuffed their knees by falling etc I'd think its okay, just childhood accident. But the play area and surface being the cause of the scuffing, versus an accident, well I'd be asking that there be foam mats put down or a softer play area provided to prevent unnecessary hurts and holes in pant knees.

But, I am not forcing the child to crawl and push trucks. We have free play...this is what the child chose to do this with his time. Children (even at 1yrs) are smart enough and capable of deciding this hurts my knees I don't want to do this anymore. Putting foam mats down outside for a child to play on just deprives them from the learning experience of understanding their own body's limits. If it bothers them it's on them to find a better way of doing it. I am all for keeping children safe and protected but preventing a child from choosing to crawl on a driveway because they might scrape their knees isn't my job (as a parent or caregiver). If they do scrape their knees and complain about it I would point out how they got scraped and some better solutions but putting foam mats down or putting the trucks away isn't going to teach anything and deprives everyone.

My point about my daughter being out there is that this is our day, we play outside, we crawl around pushing trucks and get dirty. I will not change our day (be inside to prevent scraped knees), I won't deprive my daughter of outside time and playing with trucks outside to keep their child clean and their clothes in perfect shape. If this is an issue with them they will need to find a place that doesn't allow the kids to play with trucks outside.

I will note that none of the kids have any wear on their snowpants. None have ever torn any pant knees here. They do get dirty and they do get stained. Again, kids are smart and adapt their ways when they are uncomfortable so they don't crawl around until they have torn through their clothes and are bleeding. At least in my many years of experience.