Germs are yucky

Hello. My name is Katherine. And I am a Germophobe.

Yes, I have a little bit...well, no...a lot a bit of a problem. If you need antibacterial, I'm your girl. I have hand wipes, cleaning wipes, sanitizer, soap, spray, etc. etc. etc. And not only in my house - you can find little handy travel sized ones in my car, my purse, my diaper bag, my key chain, my desk at work, the stroller, etc. I have a problem. The very thought of germs freaks me out.

We wash our hands all of the time (we being me and Landon - I am turning him into a germophobe too). If we are out and about, I am whipping out the sanitizer on a frequent basis. I'm the mom that pulls out her travel pack of Clorox wipes to clean the McDonald's table before we sit down to eat. One of my biggest fears is the inevitable request for Landon to go potty while out in public. I probably say to him at least 10 times while in the bathroom, "Don't touch anything!". I cover the toilet seat (if he has to sit) and watch him very closely so that his skin doesn't come into contact with the toilet. We wash our hands very thoroughly while carefully using paper towels to turn on & off the water and open the door to leave (the act of throwing away the paper towel while holding the door open with your outstretched leg is a talent).

With all of that being said, I constantly have my fingers in my mouth...biting my nails and the skin around it. {gasp} I might as well lick that public restroom toilet seat! {Hold on, I just threw up in my mouth a little bit. Let me get my composure. Okay.} It was definitely a learned habit. Sorry Daddy, but I'm going to blame this one on you. My Daddy, brother and I all bite our nails, to the point where our nails look really bad...so bad, people cringe and say "ouch, that's gotta hurt".

But recently I experienced a revelation. The turning point for me was seeing my 2 year old nephew, Adam, biting his nails over Christmas. Then the wheels started turning. Here was my train of thought: Look at Adam biting his nails...ewww, think of all of the germs going into his mouth...he must have learned that habit by watching his Dad (my brother)...wow, luckily Landon hasn't picked up that habit from me...oh, but he still could...oh, and Carter might too...ewwwww, think of all of the germs going into their mouths if they do that...ewwwww, think of all of the germs going into my mouth when I do that...I might as well lick the public restroom toilets & door handles & shopping carts & money & McDonald's floor & trash cans with food/drink splattered all over the flappy door & gum under a table & bus handles &...{panic is rising in my chest}...I'VE GOT TO PUT A STOP TO THIS!!!!!!!

So my goal (not New Year's resolution because I don't believe in those because they always get broken) is to keep my hands out of my mouth. I will not promise not to pick at my nails or skin around them but I will not put them in my mouth.

I am asking for your support. If you see them going anywhere towards my mouth, please stop me. Remind me of the germs. Remind me of all of those nasty things that I should lick instead. My weak moments are while reading a book and watching TV. So please, help me.

The first step is to admit you have a problem.