Did you wipe that down?

I’m a bit of a germaphobe. I carry antibacterial wipes in my pocketbook, Ladybug’s diaper bag and the front and back seats of the car. I give restaurant highchairs and tables the once-over with disinfecting towelettes before letting Ladybug touch them. I even have a “Buggy Bagg” that slides over shopping cart seats and that covers every inch Ladybug would normally come in contact with.

So to take Ladybug to a petting zoo – as my mom and I did yesterday – is not exactly ordinary behavior for me. But Ladybug adores animals and she loves getting out of the house, so it’s a perfect combination … as long as she doesn’t touch anything.

I know, I know. Why would I take her to a petting zoo if I’m not going to let her touch the animals? First off, it saves me a little dignity. Rather than having me feign very unrealistic – and in the case of camels, very inaccurate – animal sounds using Ladybug’s stuffed animals, she gets to hear them in real life. It also helps teach her the concept of big and small – “Look at that baby goat. He’s so much smaller than the one with the beard.” And where else but in Louisiana do you get to see alligators get a feeding of raw chicken?

But I have to admit, I did feel a bit awkward holding Ladybug back while other parents encouraged their toddlers to stick their hands through the fence and stroke the baby zebra’s fur or hand-feed the deer. But then again, all my efforts to keep Ladybug germ free has resulted in only one cold in 19 months.

Knock on sanitized wood.

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