Cleanliness Rebels

I realised today: I actually kind of enjoy other parents looking at me with a mixture of disgust, amazement, and occasionally awe when I allow my children to do something theirs would never be permitted. We're not talking harming animals or talking back to adults. It usually involves dirt. Lots of it. Like today when we were at the playground and a mother was throwing a very verbal wobbly at her maybe 7-year-old. Because he'd taken his shoes off and now his socks were dirty. Well, I understand the despair of the never-ending laundry pile. I really do. I also fight the 'socks-AND-shoes-on or socks-AND-shoes-off' battle. But when all's said and done, they're only socks. I shouldn't comment really... my two were not running on the grubby play equipment and wood chip ground surface in socks. Actually after fifteen minutes we hadn't yet made it past the sprinkler at the entrance. Can you say 'soaked to the skin'?