As you may remember, I have two grandchildren and they have both hit their half marks in age. Itty Bitty is seven and a half and the Boss Baby is two and a half. Both very different yet loving children.
I went to see them last weekend and when I asked them what was on their Wish List, this is what I got…
The Boss Baby is obsessed with mummies. And yes, he knows the difference between a mummy and his mommy. He was watching a cartoon with his big brother where a mummy was the main character and ever since then he wants one.
Being the Nana that I am I want to please, so I got on Amazon and searched for mummies. I didn’t quite know what I was looking for, but really, Amazon usually has an answer to all my gifting needs. It was surprising the amount of mummy items that came up on my screen. Every thing from the decorative mummy (I don’t know if I should be fascinated or scared by someone who decorates with mummies,) the full size mummy, (what would one do with that?) and the toy mummy, (who knew there was a need for toy mummies.)
Finally I hit on a stuffed mummy and placed my order. Check, the Boss Baby was taken care of.
Now Itty Bitty was another matter. Upon inquiring as to his interests, he voiced his fascination with medieval torture devices………yep, you read that correctly. I nodded knowingly and excused myself to go speak with his parents. They assured me they had quizzed him over and over as to whether this involved liking the pain inflicted on the victim or just the devices themselves.
Itty Bitty was a bit upset that they would think he would enjoy the torture itself. No, it was just the mechanics in which he was in awe. My heart started to slow down and my blood pressure cascaded to a normal level. My grandson was not some future sadistic creature looking for small animals to torture before proceeding onto humans.
I went back into the room to learn more of his thought process. Somewhere, and I don’t know where but now a days it could be a multitude of sources, he heard of the time of the black plague. He told me how during that time, one side would lob a dead, decaying, plague filled body over the walls of the other side hoping to not only infect the enemy but dispose of the carcass at the same time. I could hardly swallow at this story but what really got me was his last sentence, and I quote, “That was really smart.”
How does a nana respond to that? No malicious intent was meant on his part and when you think about it, it was a dandy way of killing two birds with one stone, so to speak.
What am I do to with this fascinating, eclectic, inquisitive child? And what do I get him for Christmas? Back to Amazon where they offer up interesting items such as many, many books on the subject, a coffee mug that says, “Time to drink coffee, refuel and collect medieval torture devices” (What???), a few posters depicting said devices, and my personal favorite, a bra. Now Amazon knows a woman well when they list a bra under torture devices.
But, none of these were appropriate for Itty Bitty. Do I choose to ignore this latest interest? Yes, I do. Instead I’m getting him a large mylar shark with remote control that can cruise around the dome home, a “hover soccer ball,” and a playhouse shaped like a trailer complete with canopy. If he turns it into a fortress and starts lobbing stuffed toys over the “wall”, that’s not on me.
magicalmess 