Parents reach new lows - I was asked to stop telling a child not to pick their nose!

[Ember]

Yep, I have a nose picker in my class. Not only a picker, but a pick it out and eat it kid. When ever I catch it I gently remind the child to remove his finger and go wash his hands. The yesterday said child had his fingers up there again and his nose started to bleed. I send him off to be taken care of and cleaned up and when he gets back I tell him the reason it's bleeding is because he's picking it so often.

Yesterday at about four, I get a call. It's the child's mother advising me that her son is allowed to pick his nose and I shouldn't be telling him otherwise. When I point out that this is not a socially acceptable habit and that it's a very good way of spreading germs around (a hot topic with H1N1 still out there) she tells me that, and I quote, "picking your nose and eating it is a way of building up immunity. We encourage it."

Now, I have done some reading and there is at least one doctor out there who agrees with her. There are also some serious complications from continued picking that he fails to mention and there have been no actual studies done on eating up nose pickings...

I admit, I just sat on the other end of the phone speechless. I do feel having his little fingers up there and then touching things is unsafe and that mom's thoughts on immunity boosting by this method are questionable at best, and (to be frank) it's socially unacceptable!

Do I make an issue of this? What would you do and how far would you take it??

 

[JoiseyMom]

I wish I had answers..I have this issue with DS8 , but I am constantly telling him to stop and handing him tissues.

I would tell this mom that what she feels is acceptable at home is not at school. You can be nude at home and that is fine, but you can't do it in public. I would tell her that it is against the rules in your classroom/school and if he wants to do it at home feel free, but in your classroom you make the rules and it isn't allowed, and you will tell her child this each time you see him do it.

Unless she can have that added to a 504 , I think you will be safe.

This mother in my opinion is NUTS!!!!!!! Sorry you have to deal with this!

 

[Bluestars]

That lady is crazy! I can't imagine any parent encouraging their child to pick and eat.

 

[happygirl]

My daughter is at that age. I can't image encouraging her to do this.

On the other hand what can you do. You can't go against the parent

 

[lovetoscrap]

I need a vomiting smilie!

What they do at home is their business. If they want to walk around in the nude because they think it is best then so be it. If they want to eat all their meals with their hands and serve themselves by putting their mouths directly from the pan that is fine. But when they leave the house and are in public there are certain social rules and health precautions that have to be followed. Do Mom and Dad do this at work? In a meeting with the boss? At a family wedding?

A child doing that is a HUGE target for bullying and teasing. It is absolutely a health issue and if I were the parent of another kid in the class sitting next to him I would be angry if this was condoned. And the fact that he is bleeding opens up an entire other can of health issues.

You may have to get the school nurse involved with this but I think the parents need to be told that they are welcome to do what they want in the privacy of their own homes, but this is not acceptable and will not be tolerated in the classroom

Besides, if I were in that class it would be really difficult for me to teach while I was puking from seeing him do that!!!

 

[luvmy3]

I would let the kid continue to do it, he will learn soon enough that its socially unacceptable and stop doing it (in public at least). I would also make sure that if his parents encourage it, they also send in an extra supply of hand sanitizer.

 

[Robindianne]

Teacher and parent here. IMHO It's a health issue (not to mention how gross it is . With all the viruses going around, say you simply must help protect the others in your classroom from being subject to his germs.

Perhaps parents would feel better if you consistently required said child to wash with soap and water each and every time he picks his nose. "Win-win" right? Kid can pick to parents' hearts' desire.

I'm guessing they'd rather the kid just stop picking as he'll get more social ostrasism (sp?) by kids hearing he has to go wash every 10 minutes. Can your school nurse do anything to convince parents?

Ugh.

 

[minkydog]

That mother is an idiot. I would just keep doing what you're doing, making him wash his hands frequently. Nose picking(and eating?eww) is a very nasty habit. If she calls again, refer her to your school nurse. If that doesn't work, have her talk to the principal. I'm guessing this mother doesn't really want to go that far to defend her little snot-munching special snowflake.

 

[C.Ann]

I would tell this mom that what she feels is acceptable at home is not at school.

I would tell her that it is against the rules in your classroom/school and if he wants to do it at home feel free, but in your classroom you make the rules and it isn't allowed, and you will tell her child this each time you see him do it.

What she said..

 

[kaytieeldr]

Now, I have done some reading and there is at least one doctor out there who agrees with her.

It's possible to find an expert opinion supporting just about anything - doesn't make it fact.

 

[C.Ann]

I would let the kid continue to do it, he will learn soon enough that its socially unacceptable and stop doing it (in public at least). I would also make sure that if his parents encourage it, they also send in an extra supply of hand sanitizer.

Unsanitary and unfair to the other students (and the teacher) in the class.. The child would have to be reminded to wash his hands all day long - non-stop..

 

[Ember]

her little snot-munching special snowflake.

I just spit pop on myself. . . Thanks for that! The next time I see him picking away I'm going to think this, you know!

 

[OceanAnnie]

I would've asked to speak to an adult of the house.

Wackadoodle.

 

[RunningGirl]

Unbelievable. I am speechless. I would have to do something because I could not stand to see that going on. I also would hate to think of that going on in my child's classroom. Talk to the nurse first, I'd think. And I have to say again.

 

[Robindianne]

What she said..

OT C.Ann I miss reading (lurking) about you at the lake on the What's good about today thread. You took me to your lake house vicariously. Thank you for that.

 

[Hollywoodhaha]

I'm sorry, I understand picking and then putting it in a tissue and then washing your hands .. but EATING THEM?!

 

[ilovejack02]

That mother is an idiot. I would just keep doing what you're doing, making him wash his hands frequently. Nose picking(and eating?eww) is a very nasty habit. If she calls again, refer her to your school nurse. If that doesn't work, have her talk to the principal. I'm guessing this mother doesn't really want to go that far to defend her little snot-munching special snowflake.

I think I almost threw up, while lmao!!!

 

[BernardandMissBianca]

If he wants to dig for gold he can, but I would send home a laundry list of supplies that he must use personally. Pencils, paper, tissues, hand sanitizer, crayons, markers etc. No communal supplies will be allowed. Especially if he has nose bleeds.

2 of my boys have chronic nose bleeds and that brings on a who other slew of health concerns at school because they are gushers. The janitor has to come in and has-mat the area. DS 13 and 9 have full size boxes of tissues at their desks as well as travel packs in their pockets and a second set in their lockers. We go through this daily from October to April.

 

[Mouse House Mama]

That has to be the absolute grossest thing I have ever heard. I truly want to vomit all over. Clearly she has picked her own nose so much that she has touched her brain and now she cannot think clearly and is coming up with all kinds of nonsense. I cannot even fathom telling my kids to eat snot so they stay healthy. Seriously that is so gross that I feel ill.
I would make Nicky Nosepicker wash his hands all day long. He can eat boogers to his heart's content but I do not want to touch booger fingers. If the kid was wiping his butt all day he would have to wash his hands. Same thing.
Gross gross gross gross gross!!!!!!!

 

[pumba]

I have to chime in on this one.
My great nephew is a gagger....he is only six and if he sees something that is totally gross he gags.....well this one boy on the bus he goes to school on has a nose picker........this boy did it one morning and starter to roll it in his fingers and then ate it and my poor nephew gagged and vomited on the bus.......the school then calls his mother to come and get him cause he is "sick" .....well my niece gets to the school and her son tells her what happened and she turned on her heels and told the nurse that her son is a gagger and this kid did the nose thing on purpose to freak out this six year old ......
Well I did tell my niece that poor B needs to get his gag reflux in order cause the rest of his life he is going to see gross things and will be gagging and upchucking all over the place.

I do agree that nose picking is a way to spread the dreaded germs especially during this closed in season.(winter)...

Maybe the school nurse could talk to this nose picker and his nose picking lover mother,.....