Let's say you're walking by a table and you see a pile of coins scattered on the table, it would be your instinct to stack the coins with the quarters on the bottom and pennies on the top, all face up, right? Or let's say there are shoes by your back door, and the right shoe is on the left side and tipped over. Before you could leave your house those shoes would have to be left on the left and right on the right side, both straightened...right?! Or maybe you walk by a bathroom sink and there are a few hairs or whiskers in it - no way could you function (or breathe properly) until that hair was washed away - all clean! This patterned behavior is perfectly normal - right!!
Step one, admit it. Hi, I'm Melissa (Hi Melissa)...and I'm a bit, just slightly, only a wee, wee, bit Obsessive Compulsive (or OCD for those of us in the "club"), but it could be worse!
I don't know if I've been this way my whole life or picked it up later in life. Luckily my Hubby sees it as "cute". (I think "cute" means another word, though.) Having children now and all their "stuff" has made it more challenging at times to not put me over the OCD edge. There are only so many times that one can straighten diapers in the diaper bin or pick up and arrange puzzle pieces to be right side up on the floor before thinking - OK, I think I'm a little crazy.
I do believe, though, having children has helped me not be as freakish particular as I used to be. When you run on minimal sleep and have barely enough time for a potty break, "eh! what's a few scattered toys?!"
What's most interesting is that I probably noticed this OCD side to me more after I had my daughter and saw her do some similar things. Around 18 months of age she began to line up her Baby Einstein blocks on the coffee table. My heart filled with joy as I witnessed this tidy behavior. Then a few months later she began lining up her bath toys (all facing forward) on the side of the tub. I started to grow impatient with her for taking so long... Did it have to be so precise?! And then I thought, Oh, this is how my husband feels sometimes as I'm straightening my way out the door! :)
While I do continue to do my best to keep things neat - and I encourage my daughter to do the same - we've taken OCD down a notch. No longer are we as concerned with color coordinating her pants and t-shirts in her closet... This new way just gives us more time to line up her stuffed animals in the playroom...by hierarchy!