No tickling, Elmo

1957

Christmas toys have evolved over the decades.

  In different magazines (Reminisce, for example), readers share how difficult it was for parents to manage to save enough money to buy or make one toy for Christmas.

Not the case now.  Visit Wal-Mart and discover toy heaven.  Toys-R-Us was dedicated to floor-to -ceiling toys. There is now a retro-toy boom, which is just fine with me.  I like Roy Rogers lunch boxes.

Husband has refused to watch Rudolph or the Island of Mis-Fit toys.  Five decades is enough, he announced.  In fact, no more animated/clay motion shows will be watched.  It’s a Wonderful Life and White Christmas are acceptable and enjoyed.

Our own memories provide enough entertainment. Until...

Do you remember Tickle Me Elmo™?  How it seemed that the little orange red monster would giggle, talk, and roll around seemingly without stopping?  We never found it appealing or amusing, but the other set of grandparents did and gave it to itty-bit.  Our just-then two year old gr-daughter did not enjoy it at all.

  

In fact, it scared the daylights out of her.

Her daddy switched it on, and little girl hid around the corner, peering at it with wide eyes.  Then he turned it on again and she ran away completely.

Before we left, sweet girl had boxed up silent Elmer in its original box.  “Take it, Gawpie! Take away!”  Chuckles from the parents, she put the box down on the floor.

Kisses and hugs, and then little girl carried the box and set it on the sidewalk.  “Take away! You take away!”

Her eyes were tearing up and Daddy held her.  It’ll be fine.  She’ll get used to it. We left, no Elmo in hand.

Elmo sat hidden in a closet for a year before little girl-turned-three would let it roll around the carpet.

Commonsense, where art thou?

This is a re-post from 2015, when our gr-daughter was about 11 yrs. at that time. Her battle with Elmo when she was just that: itty-bitty. 

Now, she is 15.5 years old. Earrings are perfect.

They fly so fast, Grammy!

A three-year old boy can seldom be depended upon to be still and quiet. He can seldom wait until something will happen, but my grandson Thomas will watch carefully while life buzzes around him. He examines, analyzes, and finds it.

My "girls" (gr-daughters) were eleven and nine at the time, and he thought they were his, that they belonged to him. Between them, they filled our house with joy.

In 2015, my little man walked with me to meet a friend across the street from our house. He and his parental units were visiting from England, so we raced about from ocean to museums to playground to...

But, this day Thomas was mine to enjoy. And that was what we found across the street: amazement.

She wasn't home, but her hummingbirds were. Thomas squatted down quietly like a statue, wordless and eyes wide open. They were there, in their bold flight. Thomas held his hands folded in his lap, watching intently. And I watched him.

We didn't go back, why I don't know. Thomas wanted to see my friend who was gone for a few days. But the hummingbirds were there and we didn't go to see them.

Instead, Thomas ran and played with his cousins. They laughed, threw stuff, read books. I laughed, but I didn't throw stuff.

I watched them, my "girls" and my "little man". Good times.

For the next few postings, we will be heading back to the Cow Chipping Country to visit my brother. Please leave a comment, simply because I like to hear your thoughts. 

H is for Honesty

Honesty

We have two delightful grand-daughters.  Only eighteen months apart, they are both friends and sisters. They are so very different from each other.

"Red Queen" is studious and an awful liar who always confesses.  "Alice" is a butterfly and an unrepentant liar. 

That is why this event tickled and surprised us.  We had picked the girls up from school and were driving to their house.

“Grandpa, you’d better move this big folder here…Why, honey?.

“Well, if you don’t, I’ll look at it and it’ll distract me, and then”….Then what?

“Then I’ll pick it up, and then I’ll open it, and then…Alice, why are you crying?

“I’ll open it up, I’ll take out the papers,

 I’ll fold them and tear them…” Sweet baby…

She sobbed more.  ”When we get out of the car, you’ll ask me if I played with your papers, and I’ll say No I Didn’t, and then you will say Tell The Truth, and then I’ll say I Am Telling The Truth…”

By the time we walked into the house, Alice was in fully crying mode.  “I’ll go to my room…”  She stomped up the stairs and we heard the door slam.

The folder was intact in the car, with sobs echoing down upon it.

The Red Queen of Hearts and Alice