I have talked a lot on this blog about 'Duckie', Betty's longstanding cuddly friend. I have written about the stresses of only having one Duckie, with no back-up to be found anywhere on the planet, despite my best efforts. I have guarded that duck with my life for over four years, and despite a few minor mishaps, he has remained safe. Half the Button household breathed a large sigh of relief recently when the duck went into semi-retirement, and was no longer a key player in Betty's life.
Determined not to make the same mistake twice, I watched Dolly like a hawk when she was a small baby, to see which of her cuddly friends she was forming a bond with. It turned out to be Rabbit (pictured right). I was thrilled as I knew exactly where I could buy more rabbits who were exactly the same, and I did just that. We now have five identical rabbits in our possession. One would think that this would solve all the problems and disperse the usual anxieties of Rabbit either getting: lost, covered in food or chicken shit, singed by the fire, mangled by the lawn mower, painted blue, left out in the rain in the back of a toy tractor, or stolen by a bird of prey.
Things inevitably failed to go to plan. I think it all went wrong when she discovered that there was more than one rabbit knocking around the place - she spotted three lone rabbits whizzing around in the washing machine on a 90 degree wash one fatal breakfast time (this was not very well executed on my part). She refused to go to sleep with fewer than two rabbits in her cot, then upped the stakes to three, until I sat her down and gave her a stern talking-to.
Things continued OK for a while until Dolly decided that there was only one particular rabbit that she was happy with. She can tell from a million miles away if I am enthusiastically wielding the wrong one at her. You might be forgiven for thinking that THE rabbit would be the original rabbit that she formed that bond with in the first place, but it's not. She is inseparable from her rabbit of choice (it is the most-used, worn one, the one that most resembles a rag).
So, it turns out that I continue on this journey of guarding a child's comforter with my life, and have four redundant rabbits, all of which permanently live in the washing machine in an attempt to wear them out.
9 comments:
Oh goodness, I thought it would be much simpler than that. But how do you get them to smell right, or do you get to wash the real rabbit sometimes too so they at least all smell alike?
Hi Nora, yes the preferred rabbit does occcasionally get a wash too!
Always a step ahead of the parent...
Hi Iota, yep, always!
ha! I hear you. We guard the blankies with our lives. They aren't even allowed outside the house anymore. Unless it's a vacation in which case they ride snuggly in my purse, firmly tucked into a zippered compartment. Then immediately into the travel cot. Otherwise it would be an unmitigated disaster!
Hi Fancy, yes, I am a bit of a nervous wreck when we have to leave the house with the comforters - like on holiday - i do let them sit in the back seat with them on the journey - but i am not happy about it!
Hi MM, yuck, i know that smell!
I laughed when I read this as I am in the same situation. My 2 year old has 3 taggie blankets and a rabbit all of which have to be in bed with her ( the rabbit on a pillow covered by a taggie!! )
My 4 year old has just grown out of his taggie now, but also would only have the oldest rattiest one. I remember washing the others over and over to get them looking as scruffy.
At least as you said rabbits are easy to get hold of :-)
Mates of ours have a boy who became attached to a small cow (a promo one I think from Cow and Gate) and his relatives enthusiasitcally purchased about 5 of them. He cottoned on one day (saw them on the radiator) and has made the transition; although he likes them 'crunchy' which means, effectively, sucked on then dried without washing... ergh.
Can you artificially weather the others to match "the one"? bit of sandpaper maybe? Remove "the one" after she's asleep and replace it with another one?
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