It is JUST a sock!

My grandmother June was a very lovely woman. She was free-spirited, trendy, and relaxed.  She always had the most up-to-date hairstyle, colored her hair often for fun, and seemed to always be ahead of the time when it came to fashion. There was always a yoga pose, herbal tea, or reflexology technique to cure whatever was ailing a person at the time. She is who watched me while my parents went to work.  We walked a lot, went out to eat, sang and played the piano, had fashion shows, and painted pictures of scenery.  She would also take me along to Dubuque to visit her sister and go shopping. This is when I would see another side of the lady whom I referred to as, Nanny. I remember dreading the shoppping trip because the amount of stores we would visit and the amount of SOCKS that were tried on made me crazy! There was always something that didn't feel right.  The heel was too bunchy, the seam across the toe was scratchy, they were too tight on the ankle, you name it.  Her sister was the same way, which would just fuel the sock journey.  I used to think in my head, "it is JUST a sock!".  After Nanny passed away and we were able to go through some of her things, we realized that it wasn't just socks. Waistbands would be cut and collars would be hacked off of her clothes. 

My dad never had any problems with feeling "out of sorts" when it came to how his clothing fit.  As a matter of fact, when he worked at the Lock and Dam one Winter, he would come home, take off his boots and there would be his socks OVER his heel bunched up in the arch of his foot and frozen.  He would work 12 hours that way and not be bothered. I, on the other hand, seemed to have inherited the sensory issues my grandmother had. I have been known to cut the cuffs of my shirts because they are too tight or become easily distracted when a piece of clothing "doesn't feel right".

Then comes Collin.  Oh, my sweet, sweet, Collin.  Collin always seemed to be laid back and not phased by very much.  Matt was happy because he felt the house was now equally divided.  Recently this has all changed. BOY, has it changed.  It started with the tags in his shirts. They were, according to Collin, "scratchy!" and would often cry, "it hurts!!!". He now insists on picking out his own clothes. He checks for the tags and when he finds a tagless shirt he exclaims, "no tags!" and puts it on. Then one day I put on a 3/4 length shirt on him and he literally fell apart. He pointed to the inside of his elbow and screamed, "owie owie owie!". This resulted in, once again, allowing him to pick out his own shirt. Then it was time to put on a long sleeved shirt AND pants because it was cold. As you can imagine, it did NOT go over well. This is one of those times when what I do for a living gets thrown out of the window and I become a PARENT who is at a loss.  Through many sensory integration techniques and discussions with Collin, we have progressed to him tolerating either pants OR a long sleeved shirt.  Don't get me started on what happens when the coat is introduced or when his SOCKS bother him. Instead of thinking in my head, "it is JUST a sock!" I can now actually say it.

I guess the point is, it is always good to understand who you are as a person, how you became the person you are, and how you deal with the children you make. Genetics intrigue me.  My grandmother and Collin are so similar, yet my father has escaped the sensory drama almost completely. I have a few things here and there, but nothing that warrants spending an entire day looking for the perfect pair of socks.

Nanny, you had your quirks, but we miss you dearly and hope you are wearing the PERFECT pair of socks.