He/she (the gender of the duck changed from day to day to suit Betty) hasn't been totally abandoned and is allowed to 'rest' in her bedroom, but no longer does he get to: be a player in all major decisions, go away on weekend breaks, watch CBeebies, partake in meal times, play fairies and princesses, and be breastfed, cuddled, squeezed, chewed and talked at, 24/7. And I very much doubt his little Christmas stocking that I dutifully made for him at Betty's request a few Christmases ago, to match her own stocking, will ever see the light of day again.
Although this is a time of great sadness (Tom is in denial about the whole thing) and we in the Button household feel this new development marks a huge transition in the life of Betty Button, this sadness also comes with a real sense of relief. The duck had become smelly, threadbare and discoloured and no amount of washing could remedy this. No longer do I have the stress of Betty coming to me (on a weekly basis, of late) to show me a new hole in his wing and asking if I can sew it up for her - it got to the point where there was no material left on his wing to actually sew up. And no longer do we have to live in fear of the duck getting lost.
That duck, who hailed from H&M on Kensington High St, has been in Betty's life since before she was even born and meant more to her than her own parents. Perhaps now, Tom and I will get the respect and love we deserve and crave from our first-born.
To mark the retirement of Duckie, and the end of an era, I leave you with a picture of him lovingly drawn by Betty, back in the good old days....
15 comments:
this makes me want to cry!
My little one has Naught-Nee. Naught-Nee T. Cat to give him his full name. I love Naught-Nee as much as she does, so the thought of him being discarded breaks my heart!
I too have to make things for him. Mini dressing up costumes (so far, two ballet tutus, an orange pumpkin outfit, two ladybird capes, and a Halloween cat outfit.ooh, and a pair of pants for when we were doing the potty training!), he also has his own lunch,and quite often demands a magazine of his own when we go to the shops. hmm.
But I don't mind. I love Naught-Nee, and he comes in handy when I want to persuade my Diva to do something. I also have lots of drawings of him to cherish!
But yes,the worry of losing these precious friends is a nightmare. He isn't the original toy. He's a pink Milly (don't think you can get them any more), and we made the mistake of taking pink milly with us to Little Ones Christening. Afterwards we couldn't find her anywhere. I went back to the vicars house a day or two later and asked him if he had found a pink cat in the church. Given that he immediately took me to a bin and had a rifle, paused for thought and then said 'no, hadn't seen it', I can't help but think he had found it and chucked it. After that I bought every pink milly I could find, so Naught-Nee was really a replacement for pink milly, but shhh. just between you and me!
eww. just had a wet wipe covered in poo thrust in my face and a bellow of 'this is what I did'.
nice.
xx
agh, bye bye Duckie. Little P has a yogi, but it is a square of fabric trimmed in ribbon. It is her constant companion...BUT I have four in reserve should she lose it.
However the BOY has chicken, which I bought from John Lewis. I intended to make him a yogi too so I would never worry about him losing it, but TOO LATE he is atttached...the bond is there!
My daughter had a blankie and was very attached to it. I couldn't put it in the laundry because she would pull it out before I had a chance to wash it. She liked it smelly I think. It was her constant companion, day and night, until she was about four years old. By then it was falling apart,
Her brother never developed such an attachment, although I would have been happy if he had. It would have nade him feel more secure, I think.
hi sadie, brilliant that you have back-up if one gets lost! a couple of years ago i panicked and tried in vain to find a replacement - phoned head office of H&M in Sweden and everything! Now i don't have that worry because duckie seems to be a thing of the past :-(
Hi Mrs Scruff, v v v sensible having the four in reserve! After the worry of duckie, Dolly's comforter is a rabbit and i have got three of them now - she accidentally saw them all together the other day - rumbled!
quick!!! -get to john lewis and source another chicken!
Hi Nora, perhaps four is when the unattachment happen, give or take... in a way it is a relief, but also sad that something that has been around since they were born is no longer needed by them...
We have taggie blankets! Little miss has 2 ( we sadly lost one somewhere last week when out ) of different colours and her favourite changes by the second. Its lovely that they have something they love so much and comforts them.
I was a little bit sad when her brother needed his less, which I think was about 3 and a half, but like you said it comes with some relief, that they are not dragging some scruffy bit of material round with them, and theres no fear of losing something when you are out.
I love that duckie now has a little crib with a boy duck friend. :-)
Hi Mummy Mum, i agree, it is really lovely they have these comforters... but an end of a chapter when they no longer need them..
Yes, the boy duck friend - it makes me smile - she obviously hasn't abandoned him completely - i take comfort in that!
To console yourself, come over and say hi to you. x http://richasshole.blogspot.com/2011/04/fancy-introductions-week-2_21.html
Loved this post. My six year old son has a toy cow called "Missy" (obviously...). Missy now largely lives on the shelf because he is a big boy now. If he is unwell or upset though she still tends to sneak of the shelf and into his bed. Gorgeous. A big hello from Fancy's blog.
Hi I'm so fancy - on my way over...
Hi A Farmer's Wife - totally gorgeous - kiddies and their comforter friends
My Mr4 has a friend called Duckie. He is always a boy duck. No end in sight for that relationship. Then again, his brother, Mr7 retains an ongoing affair with a bear called Bronte. I do admire their staying power...
Found you via I'm So Fancy. :-)
Hi LIe in a Pink Fibro - thanks for visiting... nice to hear there is another 'duckie' out there! - never ever thought the end would be in sight for betty and her duck but then one day she gently started unattaching herself, very subtly at first, so as not to cause offence i guess!
Beware of the new friends their behavior is less predictalbe
Oh sad day. Goodbye Duckie. Enjoy your retirement.
You must be SO relieved! To this day I don't see a toy duck without wondering if it might be the same one...
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