Dumpster Diving

So, Owen has lately developed an interesting habit. He digs things out of the trash can.

...It isn't (always) as disgusting as it sounds. And it makes a certain kind of sense if you think like an almost-3-year-old. Or a rat terrier.

It started when I would throw his gum away. (Anyone wondering why a 2-year-old gets to chew gum? Two words: OLDER BROTHER.) Owen is OBSESSED with gum. And, for his age, he does OK keeping it inside his mouth for a good stretch of time. But, as soon as Owen begins to play with it, I take it away and put it in the trash.

So it occurred to Sneaky Pete that he could simply wait until I leave the room, lift the lid and retrieve his treasure. It's right there on top! ;)

Soon enough he discovered other "treasures" can be found with just a little initiative, hiding under the top layer in said receptacle. Kids meal toys. Broken cars. Used-up markers. Bio-hazard level stinky summer sandals. As if the kitchen trash were simply another storage bin located anywhere in the house, O began to reach in and repossess things he was CLEARLY not done with.

Interestingly, he never flaunted these repos. He instinctively shoved them behind his back when I came into the room. Curious...

So, we had a long talk to reinforce concepts like "germs" and "dirty" -- plus the need for NEW GUM EACH CHEW -- and I haven't noticed any out-of-the-trash episodes since. (He did grab some Ramen noodles off the floor yesterday, but I think that's a whole 'nother thing. ...Just keepin' it real for posterity.)

As the dumpster diving seems to be winding down, I've been wondering was I more disturbed or impressed at the natural inclinations of childhood? (Hmmm! So often the question when raising boys... I should coin a term for the equal mix of "disturbed" and "impressed.")

Should I understand as much as I reprimand? After all, Owen is hardly the only kid who's valued something adults don't, or who doesn't blanch at getting a little dirty to get what he wants.

It does make me happy, on some fronts, that he wanted to hold on to imperfect things. There's wisdom in that. But there's also wisdom in letting things go, because they're only just things.

It's such a lot to learn, isn't it -- how to evaluate all the objects that flow through modern life. Trash or treasure? Toss or keep? Recycle or donate? A decision before us all the time. And just what makes that T-shirt with the scratchy collar more valuable than the 101 Dalmations figurine? He must have cocked his adorably curly head and wrinkled his eyebrows over that one. ;)

The thing I take from this episode of toddlerhood is to respect the way they come to us. Sometimes we have to train our children out of an inclination -- it's both right and duty of parenting -- but we should also try to value their instincts. Owen's have certainly made me stop and think each time I lift the kitchen can lid. "Would I want to see my child playing with this again later?" I ask myself. "Could I do anything different with it?" And, maybe most important of all, "if no, should I hid it in a taller trash can right now?"