The dolls go to see the Grinch in 2018

The fleeting time line of a child. It does not seem that long ago I was trapsing to see the newest version of the Grinch when it came out at the movies. I remember it clearly. My 5 year old was into dolls including those creepy realistic dolls that at a glance can look like real babies. One year she got one at Christmas and it came with us to Disneyworld. We were by the pool at the Yacht Club and a lady was seemingly horrified by this “baby” flung across a beach chair. We let her know that it was just a doll. These dolls went on planes and to Disney. This particular memory involves us taking at least 4 of her dolls to the Capitol movie theatre in Arlington MA to see the Grinch. Fortunately there were very few people in the movie theater as she lined up her dolls to watch the movie with us in the front row. All of us thoroughly enjoyed the movie. A core memory was made.

My daughter is strong willed and unless you have a strong willed child, you probably do not know what I mean. If she gets something in her head, it is hard to move it another way. This has been since the time she could communicate.

Today, a box from storage was emptied out into the garbage that contained some of these dolls along with other stuffed animals. She is 11 and she chose that she did not care to keep them, I could not fight her dad in the discarding of these items. Tears came to my eyes. The chapter is over and never to return. The phone and friends has taken over. I just want to go back to the movie theater and let go of whatever frustration I was having lugging these dolls to the theater and embrace the 5 year old once again. There is no going back. I hold onto things too much. The memories remain even if the items are off to a landfill. The Toy Story movies really did a number on me with discarding toys. In my head they are sad because the little is no longer playing with them and it is hard to find them new homes. I felt moments of sadness for myself, a mom of 1-going into the mother role I knew all of these memories would be just this. I would never have a second, third child to experience these stages – one and done. I have tried along the way to realize the fleeting nature of time. It does not make it easier at times.