Falling Far From the Tree

Although I feel as if I spend most of my day picking things up, putting things away, and cleaning, the truth is that I am not by nature a tidy person. Clutter drives me a bit mental, and I always appreciate an orderly room, but achieving that state myself requires self-discipline that frankly, I usually do not muster as often as I should.

Which is why today's little tidying episode with Cubby was a little surprising.

I had sent him upstairs to his room for a timeout after he went too far menacing Charlie with a wooden snake (this one, as a matter of fact). A few minutes later, when I called up to him that he could come back downstairs, he replied, "I'm making Charlie's bed."

Oh. Okay. That's . . . nice of you. Unexpected, but nice.

A few minutes after that, he still hadn't appeared, so we went in search of him. We found him still in his room, folding his pajamas and placing them carefully on his corner of the bench between his and Charlie's beds. Then he lined his slippers up neatly by his bed. He explained that he was tidying up, because he likes a nice, neat room, and wasn't I glad that he decided to pick up his room?

Why, yes. You could say that, Cubby.

I don't know if this interest in tidying will last, but I will not complain if it does. Even if it does mean that I have to listen to lectures about how I need to organize things better.