Puppy Love

Both my kids have their obsessions. Lily likes a lot of things, but it's pretty clear what her favorite is. Whenever we walk into any store with toys, she finds it...

If you were to walk into his bedroom, you would think Gabriel's obsession is Thomas the Tank Engine. And you would be right. As I've mentioned before, he also tends to favor female engines. But when it comes to affairs of the heart, he only has eyes for one fictional character.

Until our trip to Disneyland last September, I don't think Gabriel had even heard of Tinker Bell. His cousins wanted to go meet her at Pixie Hollow, so Gabriel went and waited impatiently in line for he-didn't-know-what. He fell so in love that, when his sister's birthday came a couple months later, his grandmother bought her a plush Tinker Bell, knowing full well that it would immediately be taken by Gabriel.
He sleeps with her every night (I'm sad I can't find the picture right now) and sometimes tells her how pretty she is. If you ask who his girlfriend is, he will say Tinker Bell. Almost a year after our Disneyland trip, he still regularly asks if we can go back so he can take Tinker Bell out to eat. We even all dressed up in a theme last Halloween so he could dress up as Tinker Bell's love interest.

Earlier today, I was playing with the kids in Lily's castle-shaped tent thing. We've made it comfortable with pillows and things, so Gabriel decided it was the perfect time to pretend to sleep, so he needed to go get Tinker Bell. Unfortunately, he left her there until it was time for him to go to bed, which meant Lily was already in bed.

I really didn't want to risk the wrath of a tired Lily, but I knew I had to get that fairy. So I went in as quietly as I could, and snuck away with her. Lily wasn't asleep. She looked up at me in curiosity, but she was okay. She didn't mind because she was already cuddling with her best friend Minnie Mouse. So I was able to comfort Gabriel with his special Tinker Bell.

I know it sounds silly, but it made me think about the importance of support and love. I actually woke up from a terrible dream last night, and was incredibly grateful to have my support right next to me to comfort me until I could fall asleep again.

I am really so glad that my kids feel supported and loved by their characters of choice, and I pray that they will always feel that far beyond the years when cuddling a toy doesn't feel like enough anymore.