Monk

K is the toddler version of Monk. Whether he wants the syrup wiped off of his hands, his toy cars lined up next to each other, the patio door to be closed completely or decides to wear his socks on his hands – everything must be just so for there to be peace in our world. His latest “thing” is shoes. Not hoarding them, throwing them, sitting on them. No, that would be what an average 2 year old would do. His thing is that he refuses to wear any pair other than what he has now. 90 degree fiercely hot summer days be damned! He won’t wear the Buster Brown sandals we bought, opting instead to have his feet sweat inside socks and tennis shoes – unleashing the stench of what-the-hell-is-that when we get home and wrestle them off. I know that routines and having familiar people/things around help toddlers feel safe and I’m loving that. I love routines, so that doesn’t bother me a bit. But K freaks out when it comes to new experiences and things. About a month ago, just as the snow was melting about and they were able to play outside at daycare, R (daycare provider) said he cried and cried about standing in the grass and wouldn’t move. It took about a week and a toddler ride-on tractor to get him to venture past the patio steps. Is this normal behavior because, while endearing as it is for a 2 year old, I do wonder how it will manifest itself as he gets older. I’m pretty particular about being organized and having things put away and clean – but I can relax about it from time to time and have managed to not drive my husband completely bonkers with my an*l-retentive quirk. K, not so relaxed about it.