Like father like son, part II

Have I mentioned how similar Jared and John are?  You would think they were cut from the same cloth or something (don't worry, they were). 

The latest glaring example is in their tendency to "collect" things.  Or maybe I should say it's in their inability to throw anything away.  Jared recognizes this in himself and now that he sees it in John he feels genetically responsible (which he is). 

I spent the better portion of my afternoon "organizing" John's room.  It involved going through little stashes of odds and ends that he had piled here and there.  Some of the items included magnets, screws, paperclips, rubber bands, rocks, scraps of fabric, pencils, broken erasers, straight pins...

Jared's collections are generally more expensive and include: head lamps, flashlights, knives, guns, ammunition, fishing poles, camping gear, soft-shell jackets, down coats, t-shirts, dress shirts...



This is the cache of items John keeps on the counter where he eats.  



At the end of my effort I had an entire bag full of "trash".  My mistake was leaving the bag in the hallway (at least I tied it, I'm not that stupid).  John noticed it instantly when he got home from school and panicked because he knew it came from his room.  "You KNOW you have to ask me before you throw any of my stuff away!" 

Where have I heard that before? 

Rewind to our move from our first place after we were married.  I married into a major stash and collection of items.  One of these was a collection of at least 30 bottles of cologne.  I soon learned that Jared did not wear cologne and that he had inherited most of his collection from others. Some were several years old.  So... when Jared went to get cold beverages for everyone who was helping us move, I threw the cologne in the trash.  Unfortunately, I was not smart and left the bag open.  When he returned from his errand he saw the trash and panicked-- pulling every last bottle out and replacing them in the box they had originally been packed in. 

My first of several marital garbage lessons.