Childish Things

OK, so he's not very photogenic. He
really looks like this.

This is one of my 7-year-old's favorite
toys.

When he was 5, he got it in a treat
bag at his kindergarten Halloween
party. This was kind of surprising,
because they are not allowed to have
"Halloween," so it was really a "Fall
Festival" party. I guess nobody was
in charge of searching the treat bags.

#2 son took him out of the bag on
the way home from school. He set
him on his shoulder. He carried him
through the house once we got home. He put him on his pillow
when he went to bed.

His older brother bowled in a league on Saturdays. Since my
Hillbilly Husband was working, I had to take them. #2 did not
bowl, so he sat at a table and watched. He ate a hot dog, drank
a soda, and played with the green skeleton.

He twirled him around his head by an elastic string. He made
him dance. He propped him into sitting position to watch the
bowlers. He held him on his shoulder and stroked him. He took
his napkins from lunch, made a bed and a cover, and put the
skeleton down for a nap.

Between turns, our 8-year-old neighbor boy came over to our
table. "Let me see it." They took him over to the carpeted steps
and sat down. NB flew him like a Superman. He stretched him.
He tossed him in the air. #2 wanted him back. He reached up.

"Let me have him."
"In a minute."
"No. Now."

A bit of a struggle ensued. NB dangled the skeleton, #2 jumped
up and grabbed him. NB wouldn't let go. #2 pulled to reclaim his
skeleton. He streeeeeetched. He snapped. It was a spinal injury.
He was severed just below the ribs. NB said, "Hey, sorry." He
gave up the head and torso, and went back to bowling. #2 came
crying to the table, a piece in each hand. He cried until bowling
was over, and the whole way home. "You can fix him, Mom."
OK, that made me cry. How was I going to fix a 5-cent rubber
skeleton?

#2 carried the two halves tenderly, wrapped in a napkin, and
laid them on the kitchen counter. "Here he is. Now you can
fix him," he sniffled. He was so trusting. He went off to lie on
the couch and await the miracle.

I examined the patient. It was a clean break. I searched the
cabinets until I found HH's little stash of Superglue. Hmm...the
instructions didn't mention green stretchy skeletons. I figured it
would either work, or it would dissolve the poor thing and put
him out of our misery. I applied a drop of glue, and pressed the
upper and lower halves of the body together. I held it a minute
and let go. It stayed together. I wrapped him up in the napkins,
laid him on the cutting block, and told #2 that the patient had to
rest for two hours. He asked the position of the big hand and
the little hand when time would be up.

When at last it was time, #2 uncovered the skeleton and picked
him up. He examined the spine. "You can't even tell. I knew you
could fix him!" He put the skeleton on his shoulder and hugged
me. Yeah, that made me cry, too.