Mud

Mud is one of those things that really illustrates the cognitive dissonance that I have as a parent. On the one hand, mud is awesome. I know this from personal experience as a kid. Mud is squishy and dirty and just awesome. On the other hand, four kids spending five minutes in the mud creates a hour of bathing and a full load of laundry.
When I only had two kids, I was much more likely to let things slide and let the kids play in the mud. My two older kids had quite a few afternoons spent splashing in the yard. They were small and they both fit in the bathtub at the same time and I could put their clothes to soak for a day or so until I had a full load of laundry to do. Back then I only had to do laundry twice a week. Those were the days. The third one changed that subtle dynamic. If you only have one kid, how much fun can they have alone in the mud? Well, a lot, but not as much fun at two together. Two is perfect, you have fun but your parents can still handle the carnage. Three just puts you over the edge, so my third and fourth haven't had as much mud time.

Here I approve. It will not last.

When they do get mud time, it's usually because they lie. They tell me that they're just going to play a little bit. Just walk through the puddles in their boots. Not splash. Just poke the mud with sticks. Float some leaf boats in the puddles. I believe that they think they're telling the truth, but I know they're lying, even if they don't. The walking becomes running which causes splashing. The poking with sticks turns into digging which requires hands to really effectively accomplish the task. Just a bit of mud on the hands gets wiped on the face and in the hair do deal with itches. A wet cuff gradually creeps upward until they're muddy to the elbows.
I see all of this out the windows and I allow it. They think they're not being watched, but they are. And that's really my biggest problem with the whole deal. It's not the kids, they're just being kids. Dirty and sneaky and irresponsible and just kids. It's me. I find that I can't just approve of playing in the mud. I can't look outside in the morning and see the puddles and tell the kids to get on their boots and play. They ask if they can, and I say no, and they end up doing it anyway, and I get a little grumpy when I have to bathe all of them and they still have a great time. Being subversive is something we do as kids and as adults. It's not like lying, really. You do something you know that you're not supposed to do, knowing that you'll get caught in the end, but knowing that the here and now is worth it and through your actions you can maybe, just maybe bring about change. I honestly think my kids are tying to show me that playing in the mud isn't so bad, but the only way that can show me is to break a rule and do it in the first place. Maybe all of this is teaching them some great important life lesson.
Maybe it's just mud, and it's awesome.