Sunday, June 5, 2011

ridiculousness

I'm sure most of you have no idea how ridiculous our daughter is. And when I say ridiculous, it is in the sense that she is picky about the most random, particular things.

For example, yesterday she woke up from her nap and was bawling her eyes out. Why? She had a hangnail. Often, if she has any crumbs on her hands while eating, she has to wipe them off before she will take another bite. And, here are some others:

She gets upset if her pillow is crooked in her crib.

If there are any food particles on her cup, she wants a new cup.

She is deathy afraid of new shoes, especially strappy ones.

If she drops a goldfish cracker on the floor at the grocery store, she freaks out until I pick it up.

Whenever she finds a piece of trash or piece of... anything... on the ground, she immediately gives it to me so I can throw it away.

When I cut up her food, she only eats pieces that have straight edges.

When she places her sippy cup in the fridge she doesn't want it to touch anything else.



Maybe these behaviors are totally normal for a 20-month-old. Maybe every child develops their own set of OCD-type mannerisms as they grow. Maybe every mom goes a little bit crazy because their child is so demanding for such silly things. Don't get me wrong; I don't give in to her every whim (and I certainly did not teach her these things!). It is very taxing to try and NOT give in to these things. Yes, it is cute, but sometimes it just drives me bananas.

I'm just curious, does everyone else have the same issues with their children?

7 comments:

mikensi said...

Yep.. if something sets him off, he will go into a mini-tantrum. I just laugh. Um, he also says "peeease!" to a LOT of things that he's NOT supposed to have. No, I don't give in. I love our kiddos!

Sarah said...

Uhh, I'd love to tell you yes, but my kids are less neat about their obsessions. Joshua did go through a phase where he wouldn't sit on grass. There are many foods he still won't eat because of the texture. And Carly prefers to wear multiple layers of clothes especially if they include tank tops. Otherwise, they are typically annoying, wonderful kids. We all have our quirks.

Lisa K said...

Colton isn't but I read somewhere that most oldest children are like that.

That Girl said...

Yes, I've had a couple like that. DO NOT GIVE IN. And when they throw the (inevitable) tantrum, just pick them up and put them in their room. They can come out when they're done crying. (And no, she's not too young to be put in her room.)

I would let her start doing more things herself. To me, this OCD-ness means that she just wants to be in control more. Give her some responsibilities around the house - empty dishwasher (or at least hand you the dishes), put her clothes away, put her own sippy in the fridge, etc. And when she hands you trash, make HER put it away. Make sure to tell her that these are MEGAN'S jobs - HER responsibilities. Let her pick her own clothes, too. Give her more choices and let her be in control of her world, and she'll ease up on controlling yours!

Michelle said...

Sounds like my kids to a T, and they are a bit older than Megan.

Christa Jeanne said...

Wow, that is some amazing advice from Becky! Makes a lot of sense.

And just think - at least she'll keep her room clean, right? ;)

Liz said...

She'll grow out of some of these....or probably will. And yes, take the advice of giving her choices. It's a toddler/pre-schooler thing.