Rosemary has two unique characteristics among the kids: 1) she's a hoarder; and, 2) she's a shoe addict.
If she goes into the playroom to bring out toys, she brings an arm full - all that she can carry. When it's time to get in the bath and I have bath toys lined up on the bathroom floor, Piper and Henry grab a duck or other toy to take in the bath, and Rosemary gets an arm full of ducks and tries not to drop any on the way into the bath. She acts like those are the only ducks on earth and she'll never have the chance to grab ducks again.
As for the shoes, she wants her own shoes on almost all of the time, and she's generally obsessed with shoes. She likes to scratch my dress shoes with her fingernail, especially when they are freshly shined. This disturbs me to no end because I have a bit of a shoe thing myself. Not a freaky break-into-someone's-house-to-steal-shoes thing, but I like shoes more than most men.
The other day, Rosemary was upset about something. Henry probably took something from her; I don't remember. I was sitting at the bar and I picked Rosemary up to comfort her. I hadn't noticed, but there were three pairs of kids' shoes sitting on the bar next to my laptop. Rosemary was pouting. And she started picking up shoes. Each time she picked up a shoe, I could feel little waves of happiness roll over her. 
She was able to get five of the six shoes on the bar and then couldn't reach for any more without dropping a shoe, so she just sat content with five of the six shoes that were on the bar. Just sitting in my lap holding shoes. That's all she needs.
I don't know much about kids, but I'm sure this isn't totally normal. If Heather and I didn't both have OCD tendencies, I might be concerned with Rosemary's quirks. But really, how can I even be phased by her behavior when I have a couple of these in my closet.
I won't uncover the real crazy by showing the dress shirt rack above the dress shoe rack with its shirts lined up by color.
Given that I would pull a Rain Man if someone snuck a blue shirt into the white shirt zone or misplaced one of my shoe trees, I'd say that Rosemary's little shoe thing is pretty much in line with the household norm. Who am I to get all judgmental and not indulge Rosemary's odd habits. So I will. And she'll get lots of shoes. And hoard them. And line them up in rows. And then, when she goes off to college and one of her roommates messes with her shoes, she'll pull a Rain Man and freak everybody out. Then she'll be pissed at me for not curbing her crazy when I had the chance. But I don't care. My little Rosemary gets shoes. She needs them.
that pic is adorable.. she will laugh someday and show that to her husband when he asks why she felt the need to buy another pair of shoes:)
ReplyDeleteMy Benjamin is a shoe freak too.. He must have shoes on all the time, and so must everyone else. If you take your shoes off, he'll bring them to you and demand you put them on. Awesome:)
you have a nice selection of shoes, I like they style and colors.
ReplyDeletemerrill shoes
That is quite a shoe collection Rosemary has amassed. And you too, Gary! Shoe-loving and hoarding together may turn into an expensive habit someday. But hopefully by the time Rosemary trades in her Stride Rites for Jimmy Choos (or the 2032 equivalent of Jimmy Choos), it won't be your problem. My kids have not been shoe hoarders so much as gigantic shoe wearers. Caroline routinely digs out my highest heels and prances around in them (she actually walks much better in them than I do - scary).
ReplyDeleteThat is the cutest thing I have ever read.
ReplyDelete