Saying Goodby to Childhood

DD and Humpty

I cried at the end of Toy Story 3. SPOILER ALERT. When Woody is watching Andy go off to college leaving all his toys behind I could not help but think of the day when my own Darling Daughter heads off.

She's ready to pack away her childhood already. Take the case of Humpty.

My BFF, Darling Daughter's godmother, had an oval shaped pillow with a Humpty Dumpty pillow cover.  She called it her "Conker" doll and carried it around till it was threadbare. When my baby was born, BFF found what may have been the last place on earth to buy a Humpty pillow and presented it to her. That pillow was bigger than my girl.  We called it "Humpty" because we are a less creative family than hers.

There were two constants in DD's little baby/toddler life: her blankie, made by her grandmother, and her Humpty pillow. They were the only things that had to be packed when we travelled and went to bed with her every night.  When she decided she was too big for stuffed animals and the like,  Humpty got squished into a drawer, forgotten, much like Woody got tossed in the toy box, forgotten.

A short time ago Daughter decided to make room for her growing collection of clothes. The floor was apparently out of space. Humpty was put in her Basement or Toss pile in the hallway. I don't know if she felt a little sad or not, but for sure I did. Humpty, now much smaller than my DD, looked a little torn, tattered and forlorn, and I wanted to scoop it up and put it into my bed, keeping a little piece of my baby close by.   For sure it isn't getting tossed.  But I'm figuring Hubby is not quite as sentimental so Humpty will live with all my other baby memorability until the day DD is faced with going through my stuff.

Until then, rest easy Humpty.  Like Woody you are still loved.