The Car Seat

I joke at DD's expense with his nickname: OCD-D.  But more and more I wonder if he may really have a small degree of OCD.  There are many things I walk on eggshells about when it comes to avoiding an outburst from DD, but sometimes... I forget.

And when I do, all Hell breaks loose.

For example just this week, there was an incident with a new car seat.  Since Dada-Ruff bought a new car and has been encouraging me to drive it with the Ruffians, I had to move the car seats from my car to the new car each time I drove it.  This was getting to be an extra time-consuming task, so Dada-Ruff bought one extra car seat at a local consignment shop.  He didn't have enough time yet to find and buy a second one for his new car.

So in the morning before going to work in the NEW car, I opened the back door of the car and checked out the new car seat.  It was a nice Britax car seat that matched the interior in a tan color.  The car seats in my car match my interior: gray.  So since the new tan car seat had already been installed on "Diego's side" of the car,  I just wrote it off as "Diego's" new car seat (so I wouldn't need to move it to Mateo's side).  I automatically walked to my car to grab Mateo's old reliable gray car seat to install it in the new car.  I remember installing Mateo's seat, giving it a tug, and saying, "Yep - that'll do."  Still oblivious, I brought the kids to the car afterwards.

Diego opened his side of the car door and peeked inside.  As I was buckling Mateo into his ol' reliable seat, I realized that I didn't even THINK that this new car seat could trigger an OCD episode from Diego.

"Mama, why you do that?"  he asked standing in the car facing the car seat.
"Do what?" I asked trying my best to act like I didn't understand what the big deal was.  Yet I already knew where this was headed.
"One is missing" he said.

"No," I said.  "This is the new chair for the new car." I said, hoping to leverage his fondness for the new car and transfer that fondness to the new chair.

No cigar....

"NO NEW CHAIR!!!!!!  He screamed.  MAMA!  One is MISSING!  NO NEW CHAIR!!!! AHHHHHHHH!!!!"

For a moment, I was tempted to just go to my car and get the old car seat.  But in the end I somehow buckled him in the new car seat kicking and screaming, and told him that he WOULD conform in the nicest mommy way possible.  I wasn't sure if this tantrum was OCD or just the spoiling of a child.  But I remembered my husband's words, 'In Peru, kids don't have OCD.  Just in America.'   I imagined a kid in Peru in this exact situation.  Specifically, a poor kid in Peru.  What would parents in Peru do if their kid "couldn't handle" a new car seat?  ---> They'd make him sit in the damn car seat, that's what.  So that's what I did.

And boy did he SCREAM in the car!!!

All............... the ..............................way.......................to ..............................Abuelito-Ruff's house.

I'm fortunate that Abuelito-Ruff doesn't live on a cliff because I would have jumped off it by the time I got there.

So now today, I decided to take the new car again (Do I NOT learn my lessons?).  I walked with the Ruffians to the car, and cringed a little as Diego opened and entered the car.

"Mama" he said.

"This is the new chair for the new car??????" He asked in the most inquisitive and cute way possible.

"Yes, Papito" I said.

And then HE SAT HIS ASS IN THE SEAT!

OCD cured (for now)! - Shirley [Mama-Ruff]