DO NOT pick your nose and eat it

I have observed the following grossness in every walk of life, despite race, religion, and socio-economic background every child will at some point pick his or her nose AND potentially- yes- EAT it. For some reason, despite the absolute grossness, picking of the nose knows no boundaries.

Now I know this is an uncomfortable topic, but some things need to be addressed. This subject came up one day in our household with one of our children.

I was yuckily-surprised to see one of my offspring participating in such a repulsive act, but like I said- the nose knows no boundaries.

I addressed it like this...

FIRM VOICE, "do NOT pick your nose- it is gross! AND NEVER eat it! That's DISGUSTING! If you've got a little-something up there- go to the bathroom and clear it out privately with a tissue, but DON'T pick it in public!" (repeated 3+ times)

My husband seeing the same problem arise AGAIN and hoping to rid us of the debacle with no further reminders addressed it like this...

Father to child, "Are you picking your nose and eating it? No we don't do that. Come here."

He opens our kitchen compost- chalk full of rotten, decomposing food and floor sweepings.

Then he says to our little one, "see this. This is the no good stuff left-over from the food. Would you eat this?"

Child, "No."

Father, "Your snot is like the no-good stuff left-over from your body. If you pick your nose and eat it, it is like eating the compost. If you pick your nose and eat it- you won't have any friends."

Child, "okay."

The End

Moral of the story: If you pick your nose and eat it you are a disgusting person and no will ever want to be associated with you.