This little gem of a ‘meme’ popped up on my Facebook feed the other day making me laugh and grimace at the same time!

Most parents will understand the pain that is sock wrangling a baby or toddler but I’m here to tell you it gets worse as they get older.

And I don’t know where all of the ‘lost’ socks hide BUT I did read something the other day that made me smile … maybe all those socks lost in the washing machine come back as extra Tupperware lids?

So I laughed at the idea that my stripey socks would go into the machine as a pair but only one would survive, the other morphing into a plastic lid. RIP stripey.

Which made me think about my three boys and how they have never cared about matching socks because in our house socks are not pairs but individuals to be worn in whatever combination the wearer wishes.

Take a breath now as many readers might find this idea hard to accept, but once you’ve come to terms with it, you might just find some more FREE time to deal with those extra Tupperware lids, so please bear with me.

One of the best pieces of advice I received as a new mum – equal to never waking a sleeping baby – was to stop dead my desire to pair up socks for life. Rather I should let them gravitate to their own partner – one wear at a time.

Vive la revolution.

Yes, I am now the proud mother of three boys who wear unmatching socks. ALL THE TIME.

Not only do the boys’ socks not match in colour or design BUT they might not even match in height or intended use. Yes, a sport sock could very well be paired with a dress sock at my house. They have creatively-clothed feet and they couldn’t be happier.

So, why you might ask is this such a big deal?

1. Well, for starters it teaches both the child and parent it’s okay to choose for yourself.
2. Next, it’s okay to not conform.
3. Then, it’s okay to just roll with what you have to hand to make sure you get out the door and start doing all those things you want to do!
4. And finally, it’s okay that some of those things that start together don’t always stay together for very long at all. It’s equally okay if they stay together forever – but sometimes that just comes down to the individual will of the washing machine.

So how do you start this phenomenon in your own house?

It’s easy – you just allocate a basket or box for clean socks and throw them in there – one at a time – once washed and let what will be, be.

Your children will pick out what they want to wear and it even works for older children and adults.

I challenge you to try this at home today.

And now that that’s sorted, I’m off to deal with all of those extra Tupperware lids …

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Kath is a mum of three who works part time and enjoys writing and catching up with other stressed out mums in her spare time. Usually she’s racing against the clock to make her boys (+ husband) arrive anywhere on time and feels quite the talented mother when two out of the three make it out of the house with shoes on!