Eeny, Meeny, Lil' Moe

A couple of months ago, I was in a hurry to get somewhere--probably the Wednesday library story hour--and I could not get Allyson to pick a pair of panties for the day. She rejected all of my suggestions. I finally used the Eeny, Meeny, Miny, Moe method, and she was fascinated. She still didn't accept the verdict, but it did spur her to make a choice of her own.

Since that morning, we have had to say the rhyme almost every single day. It doesn't matter how big a hurry we're in, or how many choices there are. If I try to just hand her a pair of panties, she says, "Mommy, we have to do Eeny, Meeny, Lil' Moe."

All available panties must be arranged in a circle with the picture face up. If an errant pair of socks sneaks into the lineup, Allyson indignantly removes them. "We only need panties," she reminds me.

I point randomly to each pair as we say the rhyme together, and when I holler, "Moe!", she invariably grabs a different pair. There have been a couple occasions when she tipped me off in advance as to which pair was her favorite, and then I rigged the selection so that I ended up on the favored panties. Each time, she exulted, "You moe'ed my favorite!"

Once Allyson is satisfied with the day's panties, they become the first item in the stack of clothes. The panties, jeans, and shirt must be piled on the floor before I can begin the actual dressing process.

Some days, I find this whole ritual a little frustrating, but I've found that it's better not to fight the system. Most days, it makes me smile.