A Teddy Story

Once upon a time in 2001 a teddy was born to a family. The teddy arrived several months before the baby. The teddy was given in celebration of the expectation of a first born son. The teddy and the baby were perfect. The teddy and the baby were the same size. The baby and the teddy shared the same bed. Sometimes the new mom hugged the teddy because he was much quieter then the baby. Each month the mother took a picture of her baby next to the teddy. (Three months) Each month the baby grew as the teddy remained steadfast. (Nine months) Months turned into years and milestones were marked to the teddy reference. (Two years) As the baby grew, he became attached to the teddy. Teddy provided constant companionship. Teddy slept silently beside him. Teddy could calm his toddler storms. As teddy became increasingly necessary to daily activities, the wear and tear started showing… A missing bow. A lopsided mouth. A floppy mended neck. Because this teddy had been born to a very wise mother, a search was started for a duplicate teddy. A teddy to hug while the original was in the wash. A teddy to hold away from home. A teddy to relieve the increasing worry over potential teddy-loss. The mother searched, hunted and Googled. The teddy replacement news was not good. This was a special teddy. A limited edition teddy. A teddy only sold for one season at Gymboree. Yet, a glimmer of hope…eBay. Surely someone in the world would sell teddy. The mother watched the site of auctions patiently. There were many teddies, but no teddies that would do. Until… One day the mother saw this teddy on eBay. He was perfect in every way. He looked identical in every way. He was bid on with excitement. He was won in triumph. The search was over. A new teddy is on his way. The box arrived. Something was awry. The box was 6 inches by 6 inches. How would such a small box hold such a dear prize? Sometimes a picture is not worth a 1000 words. Sometimes dimensions would be helpful. The wise mother was outfoxed by eBay. The wise mother knows when to call it quits. The wise mother called off the search and guarded the original teddy (now called BIG teddy) with her life. Placing a mental GPS on his whereabouts. Washing him gently. Mending him with care. To this day the boy still sleeps with his teddy (shhhhhh). And on this day as the wise mother tucked the two in bed she thought how foolish it was to think that either one of them could be replaced. This was originally published on August 20 ,2008