Todays #bloganuary prompt: What was your favourite toy as a child?
I had so many toys as a child. Each one of them came with their own unique personality and each served such an individual purpose, that it’s difficult for me to name just one as a favourite. Each one was a favourite at some point in time.
Looking at today’s writing prompt, there’s only one thing from my childhood that stands out clearly in my memory.
It was not a toy. It was my People Blanket.
A People Blanket? you ask. What in the holy hell is a People Blanket?
The People Blanket was not just any ordinary blanket. It was MAGICAL!
By day, People Blanket looked just like any ordinary doll’s blanket but the magical powers it possessed were immeasurable.
I remember the day People Blanket came into my life. At least, I think I remember. The memory is clear as day, but how much of that memory is just bits and pieces of experiences cobbled together in my mind? No matter, the memory is real, therefore it must have happened.
I likely would have been at least two years old. I was at the park with my most favourite babysitter I’d ever had – Lenore. There could not have been a more lovely woman to take care of me in the world, aside from my own dear mum. I absolutely loved her…
The sky was blue. The summer sun beat down gently on the golden haired child playing in the grass. Birds were chirping happily in the trees. Dandelions and daisies bobbed their heads playfully in the warm summer breeze. Children were running, laughing and playing all around.
Hearing her name, the little girl looked up to see beautiful Lenore coming toward her. In her arms she was carrying a yellow doll’s pram. Inside was a dolly wrapped in a blanket that had a pattern of little orange people printed on it.
Gasping with delight, the little girl picked up the doll. Feeling the softness of the square of the cotton blanket in her hands, she dropped the doll in the grass and pressed the soft blanket to her cheek. From that moment on, the wee girl and her People Blanket were inseparable.
As I’ve mentioned, People Blanket had magical properties. It had the power to keep me cool on hot days, and warm me on cold nights. The people in the pattern kept my secrets and soothed my worries. People Blanket wiped my tears when I was sad.
But most importantly, it had the power to heal. It eased my tummy aches and brought down my fevers. I suffered terribly with eczema as a child and with People Blanket wrapped firmly around my sorest, itchiest finger or pressed against the most inflamed patch of skin, I would feel soothed and the itch would disappear.
But not only did People Blanket have the power to heal me, I also believed it had the power to heal others.
Mummy? Are you sick?
Mmmrrrmmmgghgghh….
Here Mummy. You can sleep with People Blanket. It will make you feel better.
People Blanket stayed with me through the years until it was nothing but a thin scrap of cotton. As I grew, my need for its comfort lessened, but it remained in my sock drawer for many years. Every so often, when I was feeling down, I’d notice it laying there, neatly folded. In those moments, I would pick it up and feel the softness pressed against my cheek for just a moment or two. For even then, the magic of People Blanket hadn’t faded.
In fact, I’m certain that somewhere in the depths of a box locked away in a storage space under mum and dad’s stairs, People Blanket still waits for me.
The memory of my People Blanket and the power it had for me as a child, allows me to understand just how important my own children’s favourite toys are for them.
Thing One has Larry, the reindeer and Old Lion. They came to us when Thing One was just a baby.
Six years down the track, they are worn, stained and even tend to pong a bit (requiring a bath in the washing machine). Larry’s ears and tail are worn down from Thing One’s habit of rubbing Larry’s ears and tail between his fingers until he falls asleep. Old Lion is matted and his glass eyes are a bit chipped, making him look like he’s got cataracts. But they are so loved.
Thing Two has Gordon, her teddy bear. He also is matted and a bit grey around the edges, but he is her faithful companion. Larry, Old Lion and Gordon are the best of friends, much like Thing One and Thing Two are.
They literally go everywhere with us.
I often feel like I have more than two children. One can often hear me calling out “Thing One, Thing Two! Get Larry, Lion and Gordon! It’s time to go out!” I know exactly where all of my children are at all times – including Larry, Lion and Gordon. That’s my job as a mum, it seems.
Then one day, Larry disappeared….
Hubs had picked up the kids from school. Larry, Lion and Gordon were transferred from my car to his. They left the school, visited a friend, went to the beach to check the waves and did some shopping. By the time they got home, Larry was gone.
Thing One was inconsolable. Hubs called the school and convinced the staff and some parents to search the parking lot – no Larry.
He inhaled his dinner and went out driving to see if he could find Larry – no Larry.
It seemed Larry was gone. The heartbreak in Thing One’s eyes that night broke me. His best friend was gone. I just couldn’t bear it.
Jumping into the car, she wheeled out of the driveway at top speed. A woman on a mission. She was going to find that bloody reindeer, if it took all night.
She drove like a demon through the night, holding her breath and saying a prayer that Larry would just be laying to the side of the parking lot.
Arriving at the school, the lights were out, the door locked. Everyone had gone home for the day, oblivious to the heart wrenching pain her son was going through tonight.
She searched and searched. By the light of her headlights and a flashlight, she searched every centimetre of that parking lot – no Larry.
Getting back into her car, shoulders slumped in defeat, she laid her head against the steering wheel and sobbed. Where the hell was Larry? How was she going to explain to her son that Larry had gone away forever?
Driving home, tears still streaming down her face, she realised she just couldn’t give up. Though Hubs had driven over to his friend’s place to see if Larry had fallen onto the side of the road, she instinctively felt like she also needed to look.
Making a sharp left, she turned towards Hub’s friend’s place. Determination and desperation written on her face.
In a spray of gravel she came to a stop on the side of the dark beach road. Grabbing the flashlight, she scoured the roadside, kicking aside rocks and peering into the tufts of long grass – no Larry.
Looking towards Hubs’ friend’s place, she noticed the lights were still on. With nothing to lose, she marched up the stairs and knocked on the door.
“Nope. Haven’t seen a reindeer toy laying around” was the answer. Turning to leave, tears shining brightly in her eyes she thanked him, steeling herself to give her son the bad news… “Ah! Just a minute. Thing One was playing over here….. Wait! There it is!”
Those words were the most beautiful words she’d heard in a very long time. There was Larry! A little dusty from playing hide and seek under a shelf, but otherwise as happy as Larry could be.
Getting back into the car she hugged Larry close and cried a few tears of relief. What would they have done without Larry!? Larry is family!
She tiptoed into Thing One’s bedroom. Even in sleep, his face was the picture of sadness. As she tucked Larry into his arms, his fingers found Larry’s ears and began to rub. A small smile flashed across his face, and he rolled over, cuddling Larry close.
As close as I am to my kids, and hope to grow and build a relationship where they feel comfortable coming to me with their worries or troubles, I know how important it is to have a special friend you can tell your deepest secrets to, knowing for sure that the friend will never judge you and will never ever be able to tell anyone else.
Mummy? Are you sick?
Mmmmrrrrggggfffffgghhhh…
Here Mummy. You can sleep with Larry, Old Lion and Gordon. They’ll take care of you and make you feel better.
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That is a really lovely story. I know our kids had teddy bears and Rebecca had about 10 different soft animals that had to go to bed with her.
I don’t recall having one but I did get a fairly large doll that actually open and shut her eyes and I loved her. She is still up in our top cupboard
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Emily has about 30 stuffed animals that go to bed with her, but Gordon has his own pillow. 😂
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