Yesterday after morning chores, I sat down with my craft box and a Bag O’ Damaged Red Heels to make a sock monkey. But the kids wouldn’t have it. The minute I cracked my Bag open, the kids were immediately all over me.
“Mom, we can make monkeys.”
“Mom, where’s the buttons?”
“Mom, you can help us make the best monkeys ever!”
You know the scene from Walt Disney’s “Cinderella” where the step-sisters tear Cinderella’s dress to pieces? I felt exactly like Cinderella… watching my goods being torn from my side as my little perpetrators talked incessantly.
Did I mention that I had JUST turned on a movie (“A Room With a View” on the recommendation of a friend)? Did you know I had to pause it indefinitely when I was scarcely through the opening titles?
In the end, we made a deal. I would make them puppets out of the small damaged red heels.
They took the deal. I thought, ‘Ok, I can do this. With a little hot glue and a little felt, they’ll have a new toy and they’ll keep busy while I get started on the monkey.’
Boy was I wrong…
“Mom, we need just a place to hide behind so you may never know it’s US doing a Muppet show,” the girl said.
“Okay,” I said, whipping my kitchen curtains down and using duct tape to fasten the curtain rod into place, “There ya go!” I tried sneaking off…
“MOM!” my daughter cried in horror, “You need TO WATCH US.”
Right, right. Of course I did. I was just SORTA hoping to get out of it…
“Bark, bark,” the girl said.
“Barky bark,” the boy said.
“Bark?” The girl said.
“Bark bark,” the boy said.
I clapped and cheered, and only then was I allowed to pick up my monkey making and movie again…
It went along swimmingly. The movie was witty and wonderful, and -thanks to a warning from my friend -I was able to fast forward through the social bathing scene and avoid a few naked men. Win!
After four hours, I finished the monkey. And my son proceeded to fall deep, deep, deeply in love with it.
“I want a monkey,” he said. I couldn’t deny him. I’d made one years ago for his sister. I’d made at least 10 since then… all for other people.
Just like this one was for someone else.
And then he hurt himself. There he was in tears… looking up at me… and I gave it to him. I couldn’t NOT give it to him. Have you seen his eyes when he cries?!?! It is my undoing!
The monkey hasn’t left his side, and as I picked up my Bountiful Basket this morning with my son I just grinned from ear to ear watching him tote that monkey around by the leg, it’s head BARELY higher than the ground.
So after I handed the monkey off to him, I pulled more Red Heels out and started over.
Every kid should have their own sock monkey.
Also: Remind me to put PolyFiber Fill on the top of my shopping list. Those bloody monkeys sucked me dry.
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