Of Our Little Cleanies

One of the cutest/most frustrating things we encountered when we were first disciplining Micaiah (past the hand-swat, "No!" stage) was when she would grab something she shouldn't and then, upon being scolded, insist it return precisely to the location in which it was found - down to the actual position on the table.  The frustration stemmed from those moments when she had found something potentially harmful or breakable and we literally wanted her hand off it the instant we spoke, but for the most part we giggled (privately, of course, always holding the strong front in the face of the punishee) over our daughter's anal retentive ways.

It would seem her brother is now entering this same stage.  A few weeks ago, as Emmett played in the kitchen he opened a cupboard door, a harmless one, but in an effort to discourage the opening of any cupboards, I chastised him.  He looked up at me with his giant brown eyes, looked back at the cabinet, and then carefully shut the door - pushing harder when the bulging contents within kept him from closing it completely.

And, of course, this habit does not only kick in when facing discipline.  Our children, in the early stages, anyway, appear to be natural Cleanies (don't ask me where they get it - we couldn't tell you) as Emmett has begun the process of putting things away as a form of play.  When we're enjoying the train set, he is eager to put the pieces back in their storage bin - to the frustration of his sister, who tends to still be playing.  Or when Micaiah set out a plastic picnic for the three of us to enjoy, after chowing on his fluorescent orange drumstick, Little Man methodically placed it back in the basket and, while his Sissie was in the other room, took her food and did the same.

Crossing my fingers this means their bedrooms will avoid appearing as natural disaster victims in the distant future.