The Mini Van Soap Box

We're standing outside the dental examination room, shortly my 5 year old has had her first cleaning and has thoroughly impressed the entire staff with her ability to sit still, open her mouth wide and be charming all at the same time. I, of course, can see through her scam. I see the gleam in her eye. I can hear her thoughts...."I do this in public Mama, so everyone can think I'm a princess...and think you're a bitch when you complain about me."

Regardless, she was in fact, a perfect patient. So, while there are no other patients in the office, the entire staff is showering my child with gifts - and by gifts I mean handfuls of floss and about 12 different child size toothbrushes and proper cleaning technique pamplets - it was like she had gone to a Dental Convention. If I hadn't stopped them they would have started giving her office supplies.

While all of this was happening, I was chatting with a few ladies at the front, keeping an eye on her, paying the bill - basic Mom-Multi-Tasking. One of the side conversations turned to my daughters play kitchen in her bedroom and how this last weekend "Mommy and I organized my kitchen".... I laughed out loud and mentioned how pleased I was that I have passed some of my OCD to her. This was when I realized that I really need to know my audience and REALLY needed to actually LOOK UP the phrase OCD...because I don't have it. But this lady clearly does.

It was like I was comparing my hang nail to her brain tumor.

Her eyes sparkled. It was like she had found someone from her mother ship. She literally took a step closer to me. She talked of her pantry and her refrigerator. Apparently at first her pantry was organized by food item, but quickly realized that there are far too many food items IN a pantry - so decided best to do it by shape and size. How is YOUR pantry organized? Her refrigerator, however, has clearly marked index cards to label where each item goes. She found early on that the index cards can deteriorate over time, so she eventually got a laminator. Do you use a laminator or a lable maker?

My response was simply "Oh....I don't think I'm that bad off". She was deeply saddened by that news.

I've since looked up OCD. It seems to me that neither of us have it. What SHE has is OCPD, Obsessive Compulsive Personality Disorder - which apparently is far different than those people that have to like wash their hands 25 times, or lock a door over and over again.

What I am is just really anal.