I was a germaphobe. Then I became a parent.

Kids are gross. What's a squeamish mother to do?

A baby.
(Image credit: Illustrated | George Marks/Retrofile/Getty Images, nobeastsofierce Science / Alamy Stock Photo)

There it was. On the floor. The dirty, dirty Port Authority floor. The floor that hundreds of thousands of NYC commuters trample on every day with their germ-infested shoes.

It was my baby's pacifier. And not just any pacifier, mind you. It was the one and only pacifier that my oddly particular baby would use. It was irreplaceable. And my baby was screaming.

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Rosie Colosi

Rosie Colosi has been working in children's publishing as an author, editor, copywriter, and book club manager for over 15 years. Once upon a time, she played Mrs. Claus in the Rockettes' Radio City Christmas Spectacular, but now she mostly focuses on singing songs from Annie to her two little girls.