"The Paci, You Must Wash" -- Baby Yoda

When Micah was just a few weeks old, we took a lot of heat from more experienced parents for washing off his pacifier every time it fell on the ground. They laughed at us and said by kid #2 we wouldn't be rushing to the sink every two minutes.

My mom had the same opinion and I asked her once why other parents seemed to laugh at the idea of us sparing Micah of a few germs. After all, I told her, they were the ones being lazy. She rolled her eyes at me and said, "It isn't laziness, Sarah."

I let the conversation drop and just continued washing off the pacifier. I expected that someday I'd get a visit from the same parent-fairy who'd apparently visited all the other parents and she'd share her germ knowledge and I would be ushered into the club of all-knowing parents who don't mind a little paci-dirt.

So, now, a veteran (haha) of parenting, I have my club membership and I'm here to tell you a secret. It IS laziness. Although not the kind of laziness that makes you lie on the couch for hours and watch Rock of Love 2. Just the kind of laziness that you resort to because...well, because you enjoy your sanity!

There are A LOT of things in life (and in babies) that we're SUPPOSED to do. Things that will keep us safe, things that will keep us happy, things that will keep us healthy. But every once in a while, we feel we've mastered a skill enough to bend the rules just a bit. For example, speeding while driving. We know it's bad. Bad for our safety, bad for our car, bad for the safety of the drivers in the cars around us. In fact, it's so bad, it's illegal! Nonetheless, there are few of us who don't sometimes (always!) resort to speeding a bit. because life gets in the way, our brains get jam-packed full, and there's only so many things that can demand our attention.

Well, same goes with washing pacifiers. And testing the bath water with your elbow, and cutting the grapes into eighths, etc.

Did you know that pediatricians will tell you not to clean your babies ears? And not to give them baths everyday until they're at least a year old? Yep. They say that babies ear canals are too small for q-tips and you'll only push the wax farther in or damage the ear. And their skin is so sensitive that being immersed in water too often will only irritate it.

Well, Micah's ears are always clean and even before his first birthday, he regularly had more than three baths a week. And, as long as I'm confessing, I never ever drive the speed limit unless there's a cop behind me (and even then I set my cruise control at exactly the correct speed and not a mile slower), and I sometimes wear a shirt twice before washing it, I drink milk the day after it expired, and I cook with real sugar, real eggs, and real oil! I've been known to have a cigarette or two and I risk toe fungus by letting the nail technicians use their own supplies.

Ladies and gentleman, I am a risk-taker!

Ok, maybe not. But, in babies and in life, you can't always follow the rules, right? We'd all go crazy if we had to be on our best behavior 100% of the time. There's only one person I'm aware of who managed to live without breaking any rules, and he's probably the only one whose "cool quotient" couldn't have been damaged by it. As for the rest of us, we've got to pick and choose what rules to stand by and which to say "adios" to (I'm so bi-lingual). However, even though Micah only uses his paci at night now, I can honestly say that I still wash it if it falls face down. I've got the hang of being Micah's mommy now (what a privilege!) and I can safely bend and even break rules at will. And I will never laugh at a mom or dad who wash a paci just as I will never laugh at the poor suckers who always drive the speed limit (mom).

So, if you're a new parent and you suffer the eye-roll of a well-intentioned mom of three, just remember that she's probably wishing her life was as calm as yours since you've still got the time and the wherewithall to wash the paci. With three kids, she's probably rushed enough to ignore the "brush your hair everyday" rule, so cut her some slack and be happy that your baby can suck germ free and that your hair is nice and shiny. (Cause from what I've heard about the terrible two's, we, too, will come upon a day when we fall into bed wearing the same clothes we've been in for 48 hours and fall asleep dreaming of slow days when washing the paci was of utmost importance.)

P.S. Is it just me or did "Wash the Paci" take on a whole new meaning? Kind of synonymous with "Smell the Roses?"

P.P.S. To those few of you who had the rare privilege of knowing 'the yoda baby,' please don't confuse her with Baby Yoda. Two totally different things!