In Which I Disrobe

Don't worry, it's for a good cause. Well, not for a "good cause," exactly. It's not like I disrobed for charity. (Is that a thing?) More like, I had a good reason for it. Okay, not like a really solid, can't-argue-with-that reason, it was more like ... well, you'll see what it was like.

Should I just get on with it already?

At the beginning of this story, I was robed. I had gotten dressed all by myself. (And--poofahs for me--I did not have to be cajoled or threatened. No one had to hold my skirt while I stepped in or make sure my shirt was on the right way or find my shoes. Although I will admit that I am not past the occasional missing-shoes freak out. "Where are my shoes?" I might run around screaming in the morning. "Has anyone seen my shoes????")

But this morning I was very independent. I walked out of my room, fully clothed. Nadav saw me while he was sucking the toothpaste off his toothbrush brushing his teeth. He looked alarmed. "Toh-reed (take it off)!" he demanded. I thought he was mad that I was wearing long sleeves today. The back-and-forth weather has been difficult for those change-resistant among us. Today, for example, was supposed to be cooler than previous days, so I had put Nadav in a long-sleeve shirt; he insisted I replace it with a short-sleeve one, because he's switched to short, and that's that. He expressed these thoughts eloquently by tugging on the end of the sleeve and grunting, "Hnnnnh!"

However, it was not my choice of clothes that upset him. It was that I got dressed without him present. You see, Nadav and I are like two girls in junior high. We go everywhere together, including the bathroom. (Don't worry, Nadav always shuts the bathroom door behind him; you know, to give us some privacy.) So he's used to coming along with me while I get dressed in the morning. I usually say to him: "Nadav, Mommy's going to get dressed, want to come?" (Do not think I say this because I am lonely. It is Mommy-speak for "If I leave you alone for two seconds, unattended, you will either cry, find the paint or break a glass. So let's go!")

Nadav is unaware of my ulterior motives. To him, "getting dressed" is just another one of our "together" activities. When he saw that I had the audacity to put on clothes without him, he felt shocked and betrayed. He grabbed my hand and dragged me to my room. He waited patiently. I took off the shirt and put it back on. Ahhhh ... I was rewarded with a big smile. The world was right again. In fact, you probably felt it, around 7:30 this morning, Israel time: A feeling of the world just clicking back into place. We proceeded with our day.

Tomorrow: Nadav finds things in the bathroom drawers. Discussions ensue.