We have 3 children, so we're a family of 5.
I HAVE to have things in sets of 3 or 5. 4 is just wrong, wrong, wrong, because it leaves someone out.
For example, when we redid the landscaping in our front yard, we planted everything in sets of 3 or 5. I love flamingos & have a set of Christmas flamingos (2 bigger ones to represent DH & me & 3 smaller ones to represent the kids) & a set of skeleton flamingos for Halloween (3 to represent the kids).
I have 3 framed Audubon prints of coastal birds in our living room. I'd like to add a print of a Roseate Spoonbill, but then that would mean I have 4 prints instead of 3. That can't happen.
We have 3 pets.
I can sometimes convince myself that 2 is okay (because 2 would stand for DH & me) - so there is 1 potted flowering plant on each side of our front door on our front porch, & I'm okay w/ that.
And I'll double 5 of something to make 10, but I can never do anything in 4 or 6 but can do 7 (5 for our whole family + 2 for DH & me = 7).
(Weirdly, my sets of 3 or 5 don't apply to our silverware & dishes. My silverware & dishes have to be sets of 24, & I don't want mix-matched. I need 24 of the same forks, 24 of the same spoons, 24 of the same dinner plates, etc.)
We have Fiesta dinnerware in a multitude of colors (2 of each color), & 2 of the same colors CANNOT touch either in the cabinet.
I hate drinking out of cans, & I want ice in my cold drinks. Don't just pour a Coke in a glass & hand it to me - even if the Coke is cold. I need ice. Cold drinks are just prettier w/ ice.
When I'm eating, I don't have to eat my food in any particular order, but I must alternate & eat everything in some kind of random order. For example, I don't want to end up w/ too many French fries left after I've eaten my cheeseburger - everything must be eaten in such a way that I finish eating each item about the same time. And I want my very last bite to be of whatever is my favorite thing on the plate.
Table settings are very important - if you're going to set the table, do it properly.
I must have hand sanitizer with me.
I can't go to sleep if my hands feel even the least bit dirty or just too not fresh - you know, that feeling you get when your hands haven't been washed, you haven't really done anything that makes your hands specifically dirty, but they just don't feel freshly clean. I'll even get out of bed to wash my hands.
In the middle of the night, I have to turn on the bathroom light if I get up to use the bathroom - not because I'm afraid of the dark or need the light to see. Instead, I'm afraid a snake will be in the toilet, so I have to check first. I'm also afraid of a snake falling on me while I'm taking a shower, so I have to have either DH or one of the kids check the upper ledges of the shower to make sure a snake isn't resting there before I start my shower. I'm not necessarily afraid of snakes (and will look at snakes in zoos & will even pet a snake), but I'm crazy-scared of being suddenly surprised by a snake. For the same reason, I can't clean out our garage or really do anything in our garage besides get in & out of our vehicles parked in the garage - because I'm afraid I'll be surprised by a snake in a corner or under something. Other than spying various snakes in yards or on hikes over the years, nothing snake-y has ever personally happened to me, but I've read things. And my dad once found a snake in their garage.
Oh, & I literally CANNOT STAND the F word for passing gas. I can't say it. I can't even type it out. I won't let my kids say it. I just can't.