It’s funny how one small thing can screw up what was otherwise a damn fine day.
I suppose at this point it would be wise to explain about Bubble. Bubble is a small, green triceratops with a monobrow and a loose thread round his neck. Don’t ask me why he’s called Bubble, I have no idea. My daughter named him (and it is a him, I have been informed quite forcefully). Bubble is one of what we call the ‘bedtime posse’. She has – as I am sure many children, both neurodivergent and neurotypical do – a large collection of plushies that she insists on sleeping with. They include every member of the Paw Patrol (two Chase’s, one with a nightlight), a small reversible octopus call ‘Coba’, Professor Inkling (from the Octonauts; the rest of the crew live in the family room as I drew the line at another 8 characters joining in); a small stuffed dalmatian called ‘Tiny Marshall’; and Bubble. Out of this menagerie, only three leave her room – Tiny Marshall who goes *everywhere* with her (he’s very important; Pro life tip: if your child has a very special toy, have multiple copies in case one gets lost or mislaid. We have 5 Tiny Marshall’s); Professor Inkling goes to the family room to visit the other Octonauts; and Bubble comes down to read in the evening.
Last night, we couldn’t find Bubble. This was beyond a crisis: instead of a calm bedtime routine of doing jigsaws and reading, the time was spent tearing the house apart trying to find Bubble whilst my daughter plaintively cried for him in each room. We went through all the bedding in all the rooms; the cushions in the playroom; and dismantled the couch. Finally we gave up and hit the “break glass” and pulled the spare ‘Bubble’ from hiding. Unfortunately this was rejected. Unlike the ‘Tiny Marshall’s’ which are so similar that she can’t tell them apart, Bubble 2 didn’t have a loose thread or a monobrow.
I suggested we call him Bubble 2, and this was grudgingly accepted, but she still searched for OG Bubble in the family room. And then during reading time.. she managed to lose this Bubble too! She spent the rest of the time crying for both Bubbles and didn’t want to go to bed. It was exhausting. In the end she agreed to go up with “Big Bubble” (a somewhat bigger and more realistic triceratops that her grandparents bought her a few weeks ago.)
After she went to bed, instead of falling headfirst into a bottle of rum, I went back through the family room and found Bubble 2 (hidden in the back of the couch, go figure) but still no sign of OG Bubble.
We gave up. This morning, out of desperation, I pulled her bed apart. Literally: mattress off, bed away from the wall.. and finally found him! He was on the floor, squashed between the side and the wall (no idea how he got there). I also found the plushie Everest that I hadn’t even noticed she’d lost. It’s possible that she has too many soft toys….
Anyone else had their entire day trashed by something small? Please share in the comments!
Raising the Modern Fae 