A couple of nights ago, as I was getting ready to turn out Hunter's light at bedtime, he sat up in bed and asked me, "Mama, why do children need stuffed animals?"

"Well, children don't need stuffed animals, but they're nice and fun to snuggle with. Some grown-ups have stuffed animals, too."

"Do you have stuffed animals?"

"Yes, I have the purple platypus, and I used to have a pink teddy bear with blue ears, but I lost him, and it made me very sad."

Hunter's eyes welled up, and he started burrowing into his mound of stuffed animals on the bed, finally coming up with a pink Beanie Baby bear, which he held out to me.

"Here - you can have vis one."

I walked back to him and sat on the side of the bed, taking the bear from him.

"Why, thank you, Hunter. That was very, very sweet of you."

His face crumpled up, and he lay down, hugging one of his other cuddly friends tightly, sobs wracking his small body.

"Oh, sweetie! What is it?"

"I wish that I could have that bear," he wailed, "but you lost yours, so I'm giving you mine!"

"Would you like to hold him for me? What if we shared him?" I handed him back the bear, which he gratefully took, tucking it close to his chest.

He gave a small, relieved, hicuppy almost-laugh. "Oh, fank you! I would like dat very much!"


Sometimes, I'm astonished my heart doesn't just melt itself out of my chest.