I'm actually somewhat in favor of the hygiene hypothesis.

My grandmother became, after the death of my aunt (who was three) a major germophobe. My mother was not allowed to play outside if the grass was damp (and neither was I when I was at their place, because I would "get pneumonia.") She was not allowed to play in the dirt. It was all about not getting sick.

My mother was allergic to every type of pollen under the sun. She had pretty severe asthma and it was impossible to manage because *how the heck do you avoid every kind of flower?* (I'm exaggerating. We did find a few things...she wasn't allergic to nasturtiums or cultivated roses, but was allergic to WILD roses, go figure).

When I came along, I was learning to garden as soon as my hands could hold a trowel, riding horses as soon as I could sit upright on one, playing in the dirt constantly.

I'm allergic to cherry blossoms, fuschias, ragweed and something we haven't been able to identify, and that's it. Which admittedly isn't great, but I truly believe the difference is that my mother encouraged me to get dirty and be exposed to soil.

(And also, teaching your kids to garden is really good for their sense of responsibility, just saying.