Secret Mommyhood Confessions: Labels

What? It's not Saturday? Psssh. I'm nothing if not prompt and timely these days, so it's only fitting that I hit up a Saturday meme (confession within a confession:  I have no idea what "meme" means. Or how to pronounce it) on Monday.

Here's my confession:  I hate labeling my boys' stuff.

Hate it.

This trivial bitch is brought to you by my younger son switching daycares (which I need to write about, by the way, but can't even think about without sobbing, and tears like that will ruin a perfectly good keyboard). We're moving from a fairly small, in-home center (maybe 20 kids and six teachers) where everyone knows everyone else and it's not that difficult to keep track of a kid's stuff to an actual daycare center (lots of kids and lots of teachers) with rooms and unknown families and whatnot. The new center is pretty adamant about stuff being labeled (W already goes there, so I'm familiar with the place). I resisted with W's stuff, but kept being reminded and got a very knowing "I told you so!" looks a couple of times when W's things were *ahem* not in their usually place, and I finally caved and label everything that stays at the center (except the clothes he wears in. I refuse. The extra outfit we keep there is labeled, but that's it).

You see, I have grand hopes of reselling all of the boys' crap some day, and I think a name or initials on the tag dramatically lowers the resale value. I, personally, tend to not buy clothes at resale shops that are already marked up, and it makes me squirmy when people give me clothes with written-on tags. Call me a snob, but I hate it. (Really, it's my inner OCD. The writing across all the writing already on the tag? OMG.)

I bought some label stickers, thinking that might be better, but they present a whole new set of problems. First, they're kinda pricey. And second, they're far less permanent than they market themselves to be. Which leads to third, they keep falling off in the wash and have to be replaced on the regular. But when they don't, we have fourth, the stupid things have the boys' full names on them and I refuse to give away or sell stuff with their full names attached. In short, labels = me no likey.

That I've spent any time at all think about this is embarrassing. That I also wasted around 400 words on it is far worse. But there you have it. Add one more star to my freak flag.

Button doesn't work. Go link up at Kim's blog anyway.