Compulsion

posted by Momo Fali on January 22, 2010

Yesterday afternoon, the cafeteria prefect at the school asked if it would be okay if she hurried my son along after he finishes his lunch. It turns out, that while I’m busily working 40 feet away, he is dilly-dallying through clean up.

Kids can’t be dismissed until their area is tidy and although my son stays well into the next lunch period and gets back to class later than anyone else, he still feels the need to take his things to the trash can…one by one.

First it’s the straw wrapper, then he walks around the entire row of tables to get his straw, then his milk carton, then his tray, then his napkin. I don’t think he’s stalling. I think it’s just an aspect of his OCD.

I will be the first person to say that he gets his compulsions naturally. Between me, my mother and my mother-in-law you could lay our compulsions end-to-end and circle the earth. Twice.

My mom took her dog for a walk the other day and told me that she went 845 steps. Then she went on to say that if she had gone around the block she would have taken over 1000. She doesn’t wear a pedometer. She also has a morning routine that you do not want to mess with. Trust me. I’m more of a have-to-have-the-dishwasher-loaded-correctly or laundry-has-to-be-folded-nicely-and-put-away-neatly kind of chick. So, you really can’t call me odd.

A true compulsion would be if I reloaded the dishwasher every time someone else tried to do it, so I would know that all of the forks were tines up, all of the sharp knives were pointing down, all the ceramic dishes were on one side and all the plastic ones on the other and that all of the cooking utensils were in the top rack. Or, if I went back to the drawer where I had just put away laundry in order to make sure it hadn’t folded over on itself. Not that I would know anything about that.

I mean, it would probably seem as if I had issues if I did something like say the exact same thing to my daughter every single night before she goes to bed and give her four kisses on her forehead. It would be stranger, still, if the words I uttered to her were the exact same ones my mother said to me as a child.

Or, if I also gave my son four kisses each night and rubbed the back of his furry little head in the spot where I first touched him as a baby.

I’m certainly not crazy! I don’t line up my shirts by color, or always cough twice, or crack my neck, or constantly rub my chin to see if another gray hair has popped out. Oh wait…

Now that I think about it, my son is doomed.

    Comments

  • UP


    We all have issues…and my shirts are seperated by color, shirt legnth, and style…so are my pants…I'm good with it.

    sounds like a wonderful child!!

    UP

  • Junk Drawer Kathy


    Ho-lay crap! He IS doomed. Poor thing. I've counted steps before without a pedometer. I've also counted all the cement squares on a two mile walk and announced to my husband with great fanfare how many there were. Dead. Silence.

    He obviously doesn't appreciate me.

  • Tara R.


    I wish that my son's OCD was related to neatness it would make getting him to clean his room or put away his clean clothes so much easier.

    Good luck to you both.

  • Sadia


    We wouldn't have you any other way. 🙂

  • Single Parent Dad


    I have my clothes organised (roughly) by colour, and I am not crazy, am I?, no your not Ian, thank you. I knew 'he' would agree. So there.

  • Jen


    Dude. I love you.

  • Misty


    poor guy… but I have some severe OCD tendencies so I totally understand.

  • MommyTime


    On the up side, your house is tidy and you can always find every sock's best friend. I, on the other hand, could do with a little more compulsion, frankly.

  • Mrs4444


    Man, that's rough. I just shove all of the towels/dishrags into the drawer, unfolded. Does that make your hair stand on end?

    I think they should just move the garbage can closer to your son's table.

  • surprised mom


    Please, you can bring your compulsive tendencies over to my house. Of course my house might just make you insane . . . 🙂 You son's not doomed. He's just ultra neat and I see that as a wonderful quality. I think my girls can take lessons!

  • ZDub


    We really need to compare notes on chin hairs because I'm so over mine.

    And do you keep getting more?

    I don't like this.

  • WeaselMomma


    Yup, you're nuts. I bet it's why I like you so much.

  • meleah rebeccah


    I am right there with you with compulsions. At least YOU make them sound so funny!

    "or constantly rub my chin to see if another gray hair has popped out."

    AHAHHAHHAHHAHAHAHHAHA

  • meleah rebeccah


    Im laughing because I also have a gray chin hair situation happening over here!

  • Zoeyjane


    I have no idea what you're talking about. Excuse me, I have to go make sure the window's locked and that the pot on the stove is facing the correct direction. (really, I totally get it, being dxed and all)

    (sidenote: your captcha right now? TANTRA. Om.)

  • Anonymous


    I count stairs, and the sad things is I don't always begin with "one." Sometimes I've just plucked a random number out of my head and start from there. I use stairs almost every day, so it can be a little exhausting.

  • Jo Beaufoix


    If my kids are staying over at their Dad's or my parents I still have to tuck a cuddly toy up in bed and kiss them goodnight. I cannot have their beds empty. Is that weird??

  • DysFUNctional Mom


    We're kind of doomed in my family too. We come from a long line of OCD, depressed, anxiety-ridden people!