We never know where a stranger’s hands have been.
Kacie Trimble/Sun-Times
Dear Ismael,
I am an active retiree who enjoys lengthy, daily neighborhood strolls. When the weather warms, lemonade stands seem to appear just about everywhere. Most of the young proprietors are in the 5-to-12 age range. I am something of a germaphobe, and I try to avoid them. I’m not a cheapskate; I just don’t want to touch a cup that’s handed to me by youthful hands that may have recently handled things (pets, bikes, money, dirt, etc.) that I shudder to imagine.
My best “remedy” has been to walk on the other side of the street before I’m close enough to being trapped. When trapped, I have paid them and told them to give mine to somebody else. That usually triggers a look of disappointment. I get it. They want to see their customers enjoy what they created. I have also walked away with the filled cup and dumped it out of their range. But that’s no good for me. I want to wash my hands with soap and water ASAP when that happens, and I may be miles from home to be able to do that. I don’t want to carry gloves or hand sanitizer with me all the time — I wear lightweight shorts and don’t even bring my phone along.
Any other suggestions would be appreciated.
— Germaphobe in LaGrange Park
Dear Germaphobe,
I think you are doing all the right things. You also have a right to question whether a stranger has been sanitary.
A large percentage of foodborne disease outbreaks are spread by contaminated hands, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Sometimes, that questionable 50-cent cup of lemonade is not worth the diarrhea that will haunt you on your walk back home.
I do applaud your empathy and support for youth-owned businesses, though. We can’t take kindness for granted, especially as some adults have taken it as far as throwing the legal book to shut down lemonade stands. That’s ridiculous.
Young entrepreneurs and supportive patrons can meet each other halfway through reassurance and understanding. I spoke to a friend who’s helped her 8-year-old with a lemonade stand and my 15-year-old nephew who worked for me one summer, to get more perspectives about supporting young people and their business endeavors.
Provide adult supervision, assistance
My friend was the one who made the lemonade for her daughter to sell. That’s helpful. Even if the adult supervised as the child made the lemonade themselves, that would calm a germaphobe’s anxiety. It could be a message you share with patrons to reassure them the product was handled properly.
“As a germaphobe myself, I would say be cautious and check for floating bits, that’s how you can tell [the kids] made it,” my friend advised. “I would personally buy one glass, donate a few extra bucks, tell them thanks and pour it out later. Because that would hurt their little hearts and I wouldn’t want to do that. My daughter didn’t mind the donations at all. It was more lemonade for us to sell.”
Look for simple ways to serve, be rewarded
Donations are nice, but transactions are part of what makes this experience exciting for the young entrepreneurs.
If the lemonade is a hard no, offer homemade bracelets or art. If the child is ready for hard labor, make business cards to offer dog-walking or lawn-mowing services.
Remember lessons child takes from experience
One summer, I hired my nephew to clean my cat’s litter box for $20 a week. A few months in, he sat me down to negotiate a $10 raise. I told him no, but kudos to him for learning about negotiating at a young age.
“I liked it because I was earning my own money, and my parents didn’t have to waste their money on stuff I wanted,” he told me. “I could buy the stuff myself and they could worry more about important things like bills.”
He was handling poop but was grateful for financial independence.
Write to Someone in Chicago at someoneinchicago@suntimes.com.