Thursday, February 28, 2008

Matchmaker

This is not nearly a substantive post; I know it is even boring and cliché to wonder about such a topic. Nevertheless…

Rob’s back is still giving him trouble and so I’m again on laundry duty.

Now, these are our boy’s socks that have been unfaithful, that have no match:


I’ve cleaned the whole house, gone through the toy boxes; I’ve searched the garage and the cars. I'm feeling an unhealthy obsession with pairing them all up coming on. Maybe it's the scientist in me :-)... So:


#1. Why is there even that many varieties of blue and white kid socks in the world? I think Gap Kids just wants to make me unable to match them so that I have to buy a new pair.

#2. Where? Where do they go?!

T’is an ageless and clichéd question, but I really had no idea how much truth there was behind it until now.

6 comments:

Java said...

LOL! You should try it with 6 kids!
Here's what I do, and I don't do it often. I get all the laundry done as much as possible over a day or two. I have the kids look under beds, in backpacks, behind the sofa, in corners of the closet... the places that socks have no business being. Often that's where they are. After everything we can find is clean, I go through the socks and pair up as much as possible. I'm not too picky toward the end. If two socks look a little bit alike I pair them up anyway. Maybe there is a slight variation in shade of blue, for instance, or the ribbing at the top of the socks is a bit different. If the casual observer wouldn't notice the difference when the boys are running on the playground, then it's close enough.

After I've made the lower-expectation pairs, there are usually still a few left. These I throw away. Looking at them, knowing there may be a match somewhere in the universe but not in mine, is too much stress. Even if I find the match a week after I've thrown the other sock away, it doesn't matter. There will be some collateral sock damage. Especially if you are only doing this with the boys' socks, then by gosh throw those suckers away! Those boys will have outgrown the socks by the time that matching sock magically appears. If it ever does. Which it probably won't.

If it bothers some deep seated OCD insecurity for you to throw away a perfectly good yet single sock, then you'll have to play a game with yourself. Casually or "accidentally" drop the sock(s) in the trash as you pass by. Pretend you don't notice or realize what happened. Give yourself permission to accept a little bit less than perfection, because that's as good as it gets.
BTW, a dryer will eat socks. Really. They get sucked (or blown, I'm not sure) into the vent system. Washers do that, too. The socks get between the inner and outer drums. Occassionally a sock will clog up the drain in a washer.

Scot said...

Java, I can't imagine 6 kids! You must never sleep :-).

I may have to let it go.

I'm glad to know they do sometimes get lost in the washer.

Just in case I can't let it go... If my husband gets upset when he finds me dismantling our washer, is it okay to tell him you encouraged me? ;-)

Paul said...

Just look at it as an opportunity to buy new socks.


It's worse if you keep wearing them until there are holes in 'em. And, don't get me started about "holy" briefs.


.

Scot said...

Just look at it as an opportunity to buy new socks.

I'll not be bested by footwear! That's exactly what they want.

playasinmar said...

There's a magical door at the back of every dryer. A door so small only a sock could use it. A door that leads to Narnia!

Scot said...

Playasimar?! Is that where you’ve been? With my kid’s socks in Narnia?

I would appreciate it if you would come around more often and return the socks asap.