Love Hurts

The heart was ripped from my chest today as I realized the depth of our son's sensitivity. Mr. Magorium's Wonder Imporium was on HBO family this afternoon. I missed an early scene in the film that made an enormous impression on Sam. He kept saying, "I want to be that monkey's friend. He needs a friend Mommy! I want to go to that toy store now." I said, "Honey, when I was a little kid I wanted a monkey too! Sweetheart, this movie is about a make believe world." Sam pleaded, "I want to go to that world now, please mommy!" An hour of conversation about this monkey went by before I realized the monkey's situation. Sam was clearly distraught and near tears so we snuggled under a blanket to watch the rest of the movie. The monkey was a sock doll with a very sad face who desperately wanted someone to love him. The monkey kept reaching out to customers with both arms only to be passed by. After each rejection, the monkey sadly returned to his post. Sam's big eyes were rimmed with tears as we watched the rest of the movie. Even after the monkey found a friend, Sam remained emotional about the monkey.
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After the movie I called two local toy stores to see if they carried the sock monkey, no luck. Amazon.com had a set inspired by the movie with the monkey and a book for $80. I then went to ebay and found the same set for $35. Phew. Sam's birthday is coming up, it'll be a struggle for me to keep the monkey under wraps until then.