Thanks for Bossing Me Around Kid

So, what's with the sudden impulse I've had to simplify and purge for last few weeks? I was having a little venting session with my neighbor, a mother of two, you know, not so much venting that it wrecks the rest of your day, but just enough to make you feel like you're not alone. She said that when her daughter was about the same age as my kid, she went through a major purging frenzy too. So like the kid would say: what's that mommy?

With a simple click on the internet, you can easily find out at what developmental stage your kid is at. You might read something like: at this age, your child is now obsessed with snaps and zippers. But what about mothers? There's nothing like: at this stage, you'll want to throw out everything you own for no apparent reason. So what's that all about?

I've been mulling over this while packing bags for the goodwill, and I think I've figured it out. It's about control. Theorists have labelled the period between 2 1/2 and 3 years old, one of disequilibrium, where children are confused, emotional, temperamental and have trouble completing tasks. Words that come to mind are: bossy, rigid, demanding, and temperamental. So what does this mommy do? As my kid becomes more and more rigid and demanding, I transfer my sense of control to the things in my home. My junk will not whine, change their mind, yell, or tell me what to do. I can just kick it to the curb! (Not that I want to do that with my kid, but you get the picture.)

clearing the barn

Revelations are always good for the soul. Does it mean that I'm unpacking my goodwill bags? No way. Inadvertently, my kid has taught me that it's good to have space; space to place things I really love, space to play, space to spend time together and space to recover.

Less plants to water, less baskets of knickknacks to fish around in, less toys to put away, less clothes to wash, less papers to deal with, less things to carry, easier surfaces to wipe= more time and more peace. Give me some of that.

Mommy, I want yogurt. Mommy, I want yogurt. Mommy, I want yogurt. Mommy, I want yogurt. Mommy, I want yogurt. Mommy, I want yogurt. Mommy, I want yogurt. Mommy, I want yogurt. Mommy, I want yogurt. Mommy, I want yogurt.


Oh look, do we really need this chair? Let's get rid of it!