[Saya]

Ummmmmmm. . . . there's a problem with playing with the dirty clothes basket? Hmmmmm, I must be a bad mama!

If I happen to know that there's something particularly gross in there, then I won't let her play with the laundry. But if the clothes are just there from normal use, I figure it's not a problem. Everything is soft, there are no sharp edges and nothing for her to swallow - what could be better. And laundry is I think a great chore to get kids involved with at an early age. Anabel loves to help mommy and daddy do the laundry by taking the dirty clothes and helping us put them in the washing machine. And then she loves to sit in the newly-empty basket and have daddy pick her up and take her for a ride!

It might not have been what you pictured before becoming a parent, but isn't this still special play? She's learning about different textures, she's learning to be mommy's helper, she's learning about taking things in and out of containers, she's learning that if you press buttons things will happen - I don't think kids that age need much more then that.

Where I often give in out of parenting exhausting is when it comes to waste. Like when she's sitting on the floor one by one removing all of the tissues from the tissue box, blowing her nose with them, and crumpling them on the floor. I think "she's going to waste ALL those tissues, which is just NOT a good thing given both our budget AND the environment." And then I realize that the tissues will keep her happy for the next half hour, and I realize I care about that even more. . .