Latent Fears and Family Rules

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Do you ever experience a moment that seems frozen as it is happening... a moment that seems to be a snapshot in real-time?  A few months ago my 13 year old discovered the T.V. show Hoarders on Netflix.

Oh my word.  I cannot watch it.  It's horrifying.  Even hearing an episode from a distance makes me want to put everything I own in the back of a truck on a one way trip to GoodWill or at the least douse the house with bleach.  It's funny to me that my 13 year old loves the show.  Her room is generally a mess but she is a "stress cleaner".  When life gets rough she fetches a broom.

What I didn't know was that she had watched a few episodes with my 4 year old one evening.  Late that night I heard rustling from his bedroom.  Late, very late.  I slowly opened the bedroom door to be met by an unexpected tableau.  A frozen moment.  A snapshot of pure and utter frenzy.

My 4 yo was sitting on the ground with his dresser drawers all pulled out and surrounding him.  He had removed everything and neatly folded and rolled them and was replacing all the clothing in a sort of color wheel manner.  His bed behind him was made and flat with his pillow and stuffed animals arranged with military precision.  Before I could utter a sound he looked up at me with a completely crazed look and said with unusual urgency, "I HAVE TO KEEP MY ROOM CLEAN!"

Note to older children regarding new family rule:  Hoarders is now rated pg-13.


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