HUMPTY DUMPTY SAT ON A WALL...

We all had one…a little something that offered so much security and comfort when we were young. It may have been a blankie, that had been washed and rewashed to the point were the corners were fraying and the yarns running thin. Or maybe it was a stuffed animal, missing an eye and patches of fur. In a prior post, I mentioned how excited Ray and I were to find his teddy, Chris. We washed Chris, added a little pink bow around his neck, and stuck it on a shelf for Taylor to one day find and fall in love with.

Ever since we found this treasure from Ray’s childhood, I’ve been thinking about my Humpty Dumpty. That’s right, my tiny heart always found a bit more comfort when I had my Humpty Dumpty. Dumpty went EVERYWHERE with me, playgrounds, air shows, bedtime…thank goodness for washing machines! And most often, if I was dragging Humpty Dumpty around by one leg, you could bet I was also sucking on my paci. And so the two become my personal security blanket…Dumpty Paci. I believe, and my mom can confirm this, that I actually went through more than one Humpty Dumpty throughout my toddler years. Poor little guy, the legs would fall off, the tuft of yellow hair on his crown pulled out…and you know what they say, all the kings horses and all the kings men, couldn’t put Humpty together again. So, to even consider that Taylor could inherit my Dumpty was out of the question. I will always remember his blue and white stripe ‘pants’ and his silly egg shaped eyes. Somewhere, I’m sure, my mom has saved the carcass of good ole Humpty Dumpty.

Whenever we go to children’s shops, I find myself looking at all of the stuffed animals. Today, most of the stuffed animals are more commercialized…Dora, Diego, Nemo, Lightening McQueen, etc. Once I was old enough to really reminisce on those things that were so special to me as a child, I began to notice that I never saw Humpty Dumpty propped up on shelves in the store. I began to think the classic nursery rhymes had been squeezed out by animated videos and more enticing plots.

BUT, it appears as though the nursery rhymes that so many of us loved as children, just might be making a comeback. Why do I think so? My mom walked into Lewis Gifts and sitting on the shelf…HUMPTY DUMPTY!! She couldn’t resist, and I can’t blame her. Taylor has her very own, fresh, clean Dumpty with all four appendages and an adorable tuft of yellow hair on his crown. So, although Taylor will not be inheriting my Dumpty, she is receiving her very own, representing something that meant so much to me, so many years ago.