I am a woman with many irrational fears. And three times as many pet peeves.
A few of the things I am irrationally afraid of:
— Driving off of a bridge and into a body of water with the kids in the car.
— Intestinal parasites that enter through the feet (oddly, I am not afraid of any other intestinal parasites).
— Kate falling off the slide/swing set/stairs/ladder or whatever else she has climbed up despite being half the size and a quarter of the age requirement.
— A child running into the street.
— The attachments to bicycles where kids ride? They are so low that I worry a car won’t see them.
— Someone breaking in the front of the house and I can’t the kids out of the back of the house fast enough.
A few things I am irrationally irritated or preoccupied by:
— Yard chemicals being tracked through the house on shoes.
— Mud on shoes or clothes getting on bed linens or furniture.
— Whether or not my pillowcase is causing me to break out.
— That I’m not diligent enough about the kids’ teeth.
— Dirty hands.
Lucky for me, the people in my life tolerate my craziness. This means that they generally abide by my crazy rules.
— No sitting on furniture when you’ve been working outside, until you’ve bathed/changed clothes.
— No walking around barefoot outside, especially in rural areas.
— I have to brush everyone’s teeth.
— Unlocking the doors when we go over a bridge (one less thing to do if the car flies off). When I’m feeling particularly crazy, I also get out the glass punch from the glove compartment and put it down my shirt or in my pocket until we’re off the bridge.
— Sleeping with one of the kids (sometimes both) when Paul is not around.
— Strict handwashing.
I try really hard to not be as crazy as I am. In general, I consider myself pretty laid back. I’m not afraid of getting dirty, I like mud pies, and have absolutely no problem with getting stains on things (I’m a master remover.)
Also? I love walking in the rain.
Emily | 29-Apr-09 at 2:53 pm | Permalink
Being the borderline over-protective pet parent that I am, I totally second the fear of yard chemicals! Also, that last picture of Kate is especially adorable (I *love* her umbrella)!!
Tina | 30-Apr-09 at 5:02 pm | Permalink
I have the same fear of bridges. I know that my cause of death will be drowning. That terrifies me. I also unlock the doors and roll the windows down because I was unaware that they make a glass punch. I may just have to get one of those!
heather | 05-May-09 at 6:09 pm | Permalink
OMG me too! And me too and me too! To everything! I think I wrote a post a while back on my penchant for washing soda cans in the drinking fountain. And as far as the whole dirty hands thing goes, I can’t even tell you how difficult it has been for me potty training a boy, who after playing with his equipment for a while likes to put his hands on my shoulders and twine them in my hair while I help him pull up his pants. We’ve started washing hands before pants re-alignment.