The Collector

Our youngest child is a collector. He likes to find multiple things of the same kind of thing and carry them around. All day. Sometimes even multiple days. What the object is really depends on the day. Recently the object(s) of his affection are matchbox cars. He will quite literally spend hours a day lining them up in neat yest sometimes complex,rows. All of them facing in a similar direction. If you have the audacity to try and line them up with him he quickly sets you straight. "NO! (s)TOP IT!!" Beanie clearly has a defined order of how things should go. A month ago he was stuck on three antique model-T type of matchbox cars. He would carry them EVERYWHERE. Even to bed. If one happened to disappear all hell would break loose. He needed and expected everyone to stop what they were doing to find the missing item STAT. It wasn't enough to find another car with similar features, it had to be the EXACT same car that was missing. Beanie will not accept any substitutes. Don't even try.

Sometimes the object is a collection of baby spoons. Sometimes it is a stack of 5 blocks. If a block is missing he will know and then he will let YOU know. Right away. Sometimes at 2am when he wakes up to discover it is missing or "hiding". Bock HIDING! BOCK HIDING! Mommy find it!!! FIND IT! Sometimes the object is a collection of stickers. He will carry them around in his hands ALL DAY. He will go to the park with them. To the store. To pick up brother in school. Etc. The current objects du jour are four small balls with suction cups (i.e."sticky balls") that he must carry everywhere. He woke up this morning telling me one was outside and I said "Beanie--There are no more! You have them all!!" He looked at me and said "(s)Ticky Ball OUTIDE!" And sure enough he was right.

I have come to realize that some kids have security blankies or "lovies", and Beanie has security THINGS. It somehow makes him feel better to always be holding something in his little hands. I guess it is a little piece of his world that he can control all on his own. Unless of course, he loses it, then watch out.