The Face Of A Hoarder

Does anybody ever watch that show Hoarding: Buried Alive? I do and I am always horrified at all the trash and junk that those people collect in their houses. If you can stomach some mold and lots of animal poop you should watch. Nothing will put the urgency in doing your dishes like this show!

Anyway, we do not have trash piles to the ceiling here but we do have a hoarder. He just happens to be a very cute 16 month old.

Cort loves a collection (much like his mom) and seeks to gather things constantly. He seems to always need to take control of all things that are alike. He is especially possessive of milk cups, crackers/chips, and stuffed animals. If he perceives that Jude or Scout are sharing in his current activity he must quickly collect all things pertaining to that activity.

For example, he is not a huge fan of bananas but if Jude is eating one he must take more bites then his brother. The ironic thing is that after his bite he just spits it back out without eating it. He just doesn't want Jude to have more then him.

Also, after the boys go to sleep at night I go into their room and position their "guys" (stuffed animals) in their cribs so that they don't roll over them in the middle of the night and so they have something fun to do when they first wake up. Somehow, every morning though, when I go into their room all the guys have ended up in Cort's crib.

I am sure this kind of thing manifests itself in singlet children but my guess is that it is more prevalent in multiples. Right now it doesn't really cause problems because Jude seems to be ok with Cort dominating toys and food but one day when Jude figures out that he is much larger then his brother, Cort is probably in for a scratch, bite, or bruise.

Personally, I think it is one of those things about Cort that makes him so stinkin' cute. He has a personality that is so much like my own and on some level I totally sympathize with the need to control everything. Maybe this is just a window into the great leader he will be some day!