Brett Berk

Readers often contact the Gay Uncle wondering, “Is my kid insane?” This question is usually followed by an example of a behavior that seems odd to a parent who has only had direct experience with one or two kids, but feels perfectly normal to the G.U. who has had the chance to witness the actions of tens of thousands of burbling rugrats. One common related thread is: “Does my child have Obsessive Compulsive Disorder”? The answer is almost always, “No”. Kids love consistency, rhythm, and familiarity as it helps provide them with a template they can use to make sense of the constant onslaught of new information they’re expected to take in every day (and most everything is new to them, they’re so young!) So behaviors that are based in creating familiar patterns, are comforting, giving them a scaffolding around which they can build understanding. Similarly, their efforts to exert control over their surroundings, by attempting to create order in the chaos of their life, comes from the same source. So when they meticulously organize each of their thirteen-thousand Polly Pockets toys into a line that circumnavigates the house, or place their stuffed animals on the edge of their bed in reverse descending-order according to height and age, they’re more than likely not showing signs of mental illness. They’re showing signs of normal mental activity. Which is a good thing.