neat and tidy, tidy and neat!

[monkeemayhem]

I have a beautiful, bright little boy who is 2 in August, I love to watch him play with his toys and i have noticed that he quite often lays his bricks out in perfect rows or square shapes, or sometimes with stickle bricks put all the same shape pieces together or all the same shape but alternate colours together (ie blue, red, blue, red). he loves things orderly and in neat rows, even his crayons or peas! I never thought a boy of his age could enjoy (?) neatness so much,i suppose the underlying question is- is this normal behaviour?!

[tigerthecat]

Does he do other things with his toys other than order and sort? I would be concerned if your answer is no otherwise I might.

[andrea_h]

Hi MM,

My son was doing this last year too, I think its just a phase they go through - he had a bit of an obsession with cleaning things for a while (lol, I remember he tried to clean a whole train carriage with 1 baby wipe last summer.!! ) and organising toys into straight lines or groups of colour/shape etc and all of his crayons in height order, all lined up standing on their ends......

Apparently they see it as something they can contol when they don't have much control over anything else in their little lives!!

My son is 3 now and has completely got over it and enjoys making a mess now!!

A xXx

[FlowerPetal]

Monkey, does your son go to nursery? Speaking from a Nursery manager view, we do encourage the children to sort items....i know he's only 2 but we did used to do things like lining up trains and objects in colour order, size order ect. We used toys that they enjoy so that it is easier for them to grasp.

It is normal behaviour so dont panic! Enjoy it hehehe he'll soon change!

[suzi-q]

My son used to do this, even to the point that in a shoe shop he once set out all the shoes he's tried on in a straight line!

Hes a perfectly normal 18 yr old now - not particularly tidy in his bedroom etc but still very well turned out, his clothes are always immaculate and his school uniform always looked neat when he arrived home at the end of the day. Not like his younger brother who always came home looking like he'd been to bed in his uniform.

Out of interest, is your son a Virgo? Because I think virgo's are quite organised, tidy people and my son is.

[monkeemayhem]

thank you everyone who has replyed to my question, instinct told me it wasn't really anything to worry about but you know I had to be sure!

Tigerthecat- he plays with all his toys "normally" ie pretending to push a train along a track or builds towers with his blocks!!

andrea-h- i wish this phase would last, its quite nice to have him interested in tidying up after himself! I know that will change!

Flowerpetal- he doesn't go to nursery, he comes to work with me 4 days a week (im a florist with my own business) and is with my husband on the farm for the rest. So I think this must be something that is just part of a childs development!

suzi q my son is a Leo, not sure what that means except my parents are both leos and they have right tempers!

[tracy6697]

Hi, My son will also be 2 in August and he sounds very similar to your son. He love to sort things into piles or lines. Also, he puts my cleaning to shame. I spilt some of his drink on the table yesterday and I just left it but he got a tissue and wiped it up. Also, he'll very often pick up rubbish that I've left lying around and put it in the bin. Somehow, I think our roles are getting reversed but I'm sure this phase won't last for ever (unfortunately!) Aren't they so cute and funny at this age?

[monkeemayhem]

hello Tracy 6697, thanks for replying to my question! My son also does the same- he is always brushing the floor in my shop, im sure my customers think i make him do it- I always get funny looks! He like things in its place and gets annoyed if things aren't where they should be! (ie if i forget to put a nappy in the bin he'll frown and go and do it himself!) This is my fave stage so far, I can't believe how much he has learnt in two years, its incredible. He repeats everything we say now, at the moment hes learning colours and everything is "ellooow" I think yellow is his fave colour. I could talk about him forever, I feel great pride everytime I look at him- i never knew how much I could feel for such a little person ive only known for 2 years!

[Goodsoulette]

I know exactly what your quiet worries were as I was the same when my eldest did it. He was also crazy about having dirty hands, then my partner pointed out when I mentioned the A word that I had taught him all these behaviours by my obsessive neatness and he was just copying mum.

Maybe you are influencing him a little more than you thought. I add that as soon as he started at playschool full time he picked up lots of nasty little boy habits which are just as cute too.

[FlowerPetal]

Monkey, I'm glad you are not worried about your son and that your instincts told you not to panic, because at the end of the day YOU and only you know your child best and you should follow your own initially reactions.

Have fun and best wishes xxx