Is OCD Hereditary?

My husband is a neat freak. Everything has its place. When we first got together I thought it was cute. Now, it kind of irritates me. I am not a neat person. I like organized chaos. It may look a little messy to you, but I know where everything is. He is the yin to my yang. Keeps my butt in gear when I get lazy and don't feel like putting things in their designated "place."

I'm pretty sure my son has inherited that trait. It's so cute! It started a couple months back when he was about 7 or 8 months old. He'd stand up in his crib when he was done napping or sleeping and by the time we got in the room his stuffed animal would be in his hamper. The hamper sits right next to his crib. We thought it was so peculiar that only the stuffed animal would make it to the hamper while the toy in his crib would be on the floor- every time.

Then after we noticed his preference of Ally the aligator being in the hamper as opposed to on the floor, he started "helping" with laundry. I'd bring the basket downstairs, dump the clothes on the floor, and sort into piles. As soon as the clothes hit the floor, here comes Josh, picking up each article of clothing and placing it back in the basket. He'd give me a look like - "Mom, you know this is where the clothes go. Not on the floor."

Now he's starting to help me put his toys away. He picks up each block and puts them into the bag. Going around the room to make sure he has them all. I love it! I'm just amazed at how he knows where things belong. I guess after living in a house for one year, you pick up on where things get put away. Haha

As long as he doesn't get on my back about "where my bath towell goes" (like someone I know), it'll be great to have a little helper around the house! ...Or does this "wanting to help" thing wear off at some point? Teenage years, maybe?