A Tribute to a Friend...and the story of a little boy growing up

I always said I would never be one of those parents that let their child become too attached to a stuffed animal or blanket. That rule worked out very well with my daughter. Not so much with my son. It was pretty much love at first sight.

His name is Mr. Georgey and he has been Z's sleep friend for two years now. Who would have thought a silly monkey that we bought on clearance at Target would become such a good friend.

A friend once commented after seeing this picture that she could see why Z didn't sleep with a pacifier. He had Georgey to chew on. Georgey has tiny beads in his hands which I guess makes him even more enjoyable to chew. Z has chewed those poor little hands for two years.



Georgey has been chewed and yanked and thrown around our house for years now. He has travelled internationally. His trips out of the house have been rare, because one day it hit me that if he ever went missing, it would be trouble. I looked to see if I could buy a second one. Yes, I could. For $50!! Um, no thanks. We would just be careful.

Well, we were careful. But all those days of chewing finally caught up with him. Monday morning I discovered that Z was now chewing on the little beads that were supposed to be in Mr. Georgey's hands. The dreaded day had come. Georgey was confiscated. Upon further inspection, I discovered that he had tiny holes in both of his hands. Guess it's time for him to retire.

If this had happened two months ago, I think there would have been major drama. But over the last little while, Z has become more and more attached to some of the other six stuffed animals that now sleep with him. He's growing up. I still worried. I looked for a Mr. Georgey on eBay. Inflation has apparently also hit the stuffed animal community. $100 or $149!! I don't think so! We would try to make do.

And we have. It has been two days now. Z did ask for him last night, but we gave him "No Name" (his other monkey) to comfort him. It seemed to work. So sad to hear him calling out for his buddy.

I think we'll keep Mr. Georgey around for awhile. He will need to stay hidden for a month or two to avoid any possible meltdowns. Z will miss him. And I will lament the fact that my baby boy has grown up so much that he is no longer dependent on a lovey to help him sleep. This day came way too soon.