I Re-Do High Fives If They Weren't Good Enough The First Time.

So the other day my 5 year old daughter comes RUNNING down the stairs in a panic. She tells me (completely breathless), "Mom, there's a spider in my room." Now, I don't like spiders anymore than the next woman but I'm also not terrified of the LITTLE tiny ones. I ask her how large it is and she states that its tiny. I told her, "Honey, that is NOT a reason to come screaming out of your room during nap time, I'll come up and take care of it." Just a couple of minutes later, though, she yells downstairs that she had taken care of it. I was proud of her (and a little relieved since like I said, I am NOT their biggest fan) for taking care of this problem herself!

Later when my husband went to put her to bed that evening, he finds all of her blankets on the floor rolled up. When he asked her about it, she told him that she got the spider in the blanket and then was able to roll him up inside the blanket thereby taking care of her 8-legged invader herself. She seemed unphased that when the blanket was unrolled, there was no spider inside and she wasn't even disturbed that her solution left her with no comforter on her bed.

I knew right then that my daughter was GOING to be neurotic about spiders for her entire life and I began wondering if I played some part in this. What neuroticism have I passed on to my children through my own fears or oddities? So I began to make a mental list of the things I do that I don't want my children to obsess over later:

1.) I still cross my fingers when I cross in front of a graveyard or funeral home. This poses problems for me during funeral services as I never know if there is some time limit on the bad luck if my fingers become uncrossed....hmmmm....

2.) I correct people's grammar and I just can't stop myself. If I hear people use a word incorrectly in speech, I practically have to MUZZLE myself in order to stifle my correction. I look at it as a FAVOR to them but doubt that most people see it the same way.

3.) I still run through the house like a crazy person after the lights are out until I get to the room with the lights on. Yes, I KNOW that there are no monsters ACTUALLY behind me but I still can't shake that creepy feeling when my back is turned to a dark room.

4.) The doorbell makes me jump out of my skin if I'm not expecting someone to come over. Seriously, I will jump (and sometimes RUN out of a room) because I am not prepared for the sound.

5.) I can't put a project away unfinished. For instance, if I'm filing my coupons and something comes up, I CANNOT just politely stack my unfiled coupons as it will drive me NUTS until I'm able to come back and file them.

6.) I CANNOT leave things out on my counter tops (bathroom, kitchen, etc.) and I mean not even appliances. I put my can opener, toaster, coffee maker, EVERYTHING away in a cabinet, etc. I feel like it makes my house look cluttered. I don't leave books on my coffee tables or things on end tables either (which I don't even have in the living room because I feel like it would be too much furniture).

7.) I have my children pick up their toys about 10 (okay more like 20) times a day. This one has even rubbed off on my husband who also frequently asks them to clean up too.....is this really NEUROTIC or am I teaching them to be tidy....hmmmm...you make the call!


Well, I think its obvious that this list could go on and on. But I have FINALLY found a solution and NO, it is not years of intensive therapy involving a therapist deliberately putting items on my uncluttered countertops. It is ....wait for it....FACEBOOK. With groups and fan pages for just about ANYTHING you can think of, I have FINALLY found an outlet for people with similar 'disorders.' Just last night, I joined the group, "I Re-Do High Fives If They Weren't Good Enough The First Time," and for the first time in a while, I thought, "Hey, its NOT just me." Who knows, maybe ten years from now my daughter's friends will consist of 100 other net-friends who roll up tiny spiders in gigantic comforters just so they don't have to look at them. There's hope for us both!