Noah had been pining for Toy Story toys for quite a while. "I want Boody (he meant Woody, but this was over 2 years ago, so he couldn't make the "W" sound yet), Buzz Lightyear, Green Dinosaur, Mr. Potato Head, the princess - the pink one." Toy Story 3 hadn't shown yet, so they weren't available in Manila toy stores yet. So on a US trip that year, I made it a point to buy him Woody and Buzz even if they were too big and bulky to bring home. But the sheer delight on Noah's face when he saw his pasalubong was well worth my close-to-filled luggage (and the unbought bags & shoes that could have taken Woody & Buzz' place in my trolley).
Then he wanted to bring them to bed that night. They were HUGE compared to the usual action figures or cars that ended up under my back in the middle of the night. But I couldn't say no to sleeping with both of them - because it was sooooo adorable how he couldn't pick one over the other. After all, he was so attached to them that he wrote his name on their feet like Andy did in Toy Story.
Then a few days later, he came to me with a ripped Woody. His shirt got torn and stuffing was spilling out. My heart sank - thinking of how many toy stores I went to to find them, of how many packing configurations I tried so they would occupy the least space in my luggage, of how short-lived the delight was from this toy he had been asking for for months. So I channeled the home ec A+ student in me and stitched Woody up. When I returned sewed-up-Woody to Noah, he squealed, "Thank you Mommy!"
Yes, a mother endures quite a few things to give her child a toy: a toy-filled luggage, a bad back & sleepless nights, and dismay at broken toys. But all this doesn't matter... as long as the toy gives her child happiness and delightful childhood memories he will keep with him long after the toys are gone.
Photo of Noah is my own - a page from one of his 2009 scrapbooks.
Click here for the of-dots-&-things version of this post.
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