Old Dog…New tricks

I have heard that I am the most Type A, non-Type A person that  a person could ever known.

I prefer to think I am quirky. I like the things the way that they are supposed to be… but I am not like crazy OCD…  it is a weird mix of perfectionism and crazy.

One of the things that I tend to be… well…a little overboard about is laundry.  I like drawers and closets perfect even if the room around them is falling apart. (That is a whole other psychology post)  I can relax if the closet is clean and the drawers are orderly.  I like things folded a certain way and I am working hard on making all the kids learn the “RIGHT” way to fold things.

It has been a lesson in self control to not refold EVERYTHING that is folded by little hands.

This afternoon, one of my final requests upon leaving was that the girls get some laundry hung on the line and the boys get the kitchen cleaned up.  I was gone much longer than expected, but was pleased when I pulled up to see the britches blowing in the breeze.

Then I walked up.

Panic.  The boys laundry isn’t on the boys’ line…the girls’ laundry isn’t on the girls’ line… the pants aren’t held perfectly on the waist with evenly formed fold lines over the top.  Pot Holders… Jeans… socks!!!!!

Deep breaths…

But then we took it down, and you know what… IT DID NOT MATTER that they weren’t in MY order this time!  So, it didn’t come down in perfect order that makes sending it to different rooms faster, but it is DONE.  And I survived.

My kids still learned a lesson in working for your family, and I survived the haphazard placement of clothes on the line.

Housework done imperfectly really DOES still bless your family and I think that is a perfect lesson to teach my kids.

And this mom.

Published by

Tancy Griffin

Tancy Griffin is a wife and mother of nine wonderful children. Her husband Jeremiah Griffin is a church planter and pastor in Rockford, Illinois.

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