I was thinking about this the other day as I was writing about how to encourage your kids to keep their spaces organized. My son Tyler is 2 1/2 years old and lines up his cars, his watermelon cubes, his coloring books, his fridge magnets, and anything else he can get his hands on. I am his mom and am amazed at most things he does, but his precision is what amazes me most. The items must be set at exactly the same length apart or be flush in alignment. I was thinking, “wow, the apple falls not far from the tree,” as I remembered gently nudging the spines of my novels into an even line as a child. And I was actually excited that one day he might appreciate a label maker for his birthday. (Just kidding.)
And then I started to notice Tyler’s perfectionism also inhibiting him. He refuses to try the piece of cantaloupe that has a ragged edge, will not explore something that it messy, (or if he gets messy he is paralyzed until you get a “wipe-off”) and will not attempt to create an imperfect play-dough car. He doesn’t get frustrated when he can’t order something perfectly, he doesn’t seem to have Asperger’s syndrome, Autism or OCD, and he does make a horrible toy mess in the living room each day. I just feel he isn’t exploring all the things that a 2 1/2 year old should because they are imperfect or the activity is messy. I want him to learn about and discover messy and imperfect situations other toddlers are experiencing without feeling stressed.
I would love to hear your parenting experience. Does your child order toys? Should I be concerned? What do you think? Please leave a comment and let me know!
P/S His sister Sydney has no problem with messy or imperfect. She is the one who got into my pantry, Dracula toothed through a foil-topped applesauce cup, and proceeded to wear its contents. She was covered from shoulder to mid-thigh by the time I got to her. She also loves feeling dirt, will try and eat just about anything, and loves to mess up Tyler’s neat lines of toy cars. They are so different.
Staci,
Thanks so much for dropping by. I certianly hope that the food thing is a phase. He is so picky that I end up having to prepare 2 dinners. I am hoping that a new play-group and pre-school will help him see others his age exploring, getting dirty, and reaching outside their comfort zone. Although with the dirty thing, I guess I should watch what I wish for!
Abbie
My son is 4, and has gone through organizing in phases. I’ve found him lining up his cars perfectly by color or refusing to eat food that isn’t “perfect” too. But a few months later, he’ll be jumping in puddles or creating havoc. It definitely comes and goes. I would keep encouraging your little one to try new things, but there’s a good chance it’s just a phase.
I am certaily no expert, but my oldest boy has a few “problems” to the point I homeschool him. As a little tiny one he was the same way as your little one. He could flat make some messes but everything he touched had to be perfectly aligned, facing the same drection, etc. You should have seen the line of match-box cars we would have stretching across our living room.
Good luck in your journey, my prayers are with you guys! My oldest couldn’t be diagnosed anything until age 5