I’m not sure when or why during our growing up years we get this sudden need in our psyche to only have matched socks. I’m sure as a kid I could have cared less, but I can remember helping my mom fold laundry on her laundry day. She did laundry for a family of seven one day a week. I just can’t imagine doing that. Because of this daunting task, as soon as we were able, we all helped with the laundry. She taught me how to fold clothes — I still fold clothes the way she taught me. When it comes to socks, she taught me to match them up and fold the tops over each other. Some of you learned to roll the socks into a ball. Regardless, we were all taught that socks had to be matched up to it’s mate, and if it wasn’t, it couldn’t go in the sock drawer. It had to go into the pile for single socks. A very sad place for a sock to be.
To this day, I won’t wear mismatched socks. I’ve gotten over having a pile of single socks, I just throw them all together in my drawer (please don’t tell my mom), but I can’t wear mismatched socks. It’s just a rule buried too deep inside my very soul.
I’m now the mom of two kids, ages 12 and 9. When they were babies, I always matched up their socks. I did it just as I’d been taught. And then something happened. I decided that I didn’t care if socks were matched up. Guess what? Neither did my kids. In fact, years later, they rarely, if ever, wear matching socks. Socks are not placed in pairs in drawers, but are instead, grabbed from the laundry in handfuls, and shoved into drawers. It’s liberating. It’s blissful. And I don’t believe I’m harming my children in any way. LOL.
In fact, a few years ago, a girls sock company came out with purposefully mismatched socks. You know who they are. Cute socks. They cost twice as much as just regular matching cute socks. Why not just buy a bunch of less expensive socks and unmatch them on your own?
Seriously, though. We are always charging around. There’s always one more chore/task/event/etc., that needs to be done, attended and crossed off our list. Whether or not your kids having matching socks, shouldn’t be a priority. No one will judge you if their socks don’t match. In fact, for most kids in my kids age groups, it’s a game to see how funky and unmatched they can get their socks. How much more fun it is to view socks this way compared to obsessing about them? buying only one kind, color and brand so that they can’t help but match? or spending countless hours searching for the blasted wee devils? (BTW – a secret hiding place of socks is in the corners of fitted sheets. I’m serious – look in your linen closet now. I’ll take your thank you’s as you find the socks.) In addition to no longer worrying about lost and missing socks, you’ll have a few precious extra minutes in each day to count piggies and toes instead of socks.
Treasure each precious second with your kids. Let the little things slip by the wayside.
(I borrowed this image from a good friend of mine Erin R. She posted about the torture of single socks the other day on FB. Now we’ll see if she reads my blog!)