The boy's love/hate relationship with Elmo

My boy, despite the fact that he only rarely watches Sesame Street, loves Elmo. We think that Elmo is just easy to recognize - being all red and goofy looking and all. Oh, and everywhere. Elmo is nothing if not a pervasive little bugger.

The boy also loves balloons. All shapes, all sizes, all colors. A balloon is the boy's best friend.

So the only thing the boy loves more than his bear is an Elmo balloon. He got one at Delaney's birthday party and was enchanted. He pulled it everywhere in the apartment and would beg to see it when he got up from a nap. I think he dreamt about it.

So on a Sunday morning J and the boy were sitting on the floor, talking about Elmo and J asking him if he loves Elmo. The boy took a sip of his juice and then offered the sippy cup to the enormous black mouth on the balloon. It was now time for J and I to be enchanted. As we wallowed in the joy that our brilliant and sensitive child was so willing to share, he laughed his lovely laugh. And proceeded to smack Elmo in the face. Repeatedly.

Our delight when from that of parents of a sweet child, to the children within ourselves. We have wanted to clock Elmo occasionally ourselves.

This balloon came to an untimely demise. When we moved out of the apartment into the house, I left the balloon in a closet in the apartment so that when we went back to clean there would be something to keep him occupied. It worked like a charm and as we left the apartment one final time - after enjoying a swim in the pool - we put everyone into the car to head home. Well, a strong wind whipped through the car and swished Elmo right out the door. This was several weeks after the party so the helium in the balloon was starting to give out a little. Elmo was blown against a fence. The boy laughed. The balloon flew over the fence and lazily blew into oncoming traffic on the nearby highway. The boy laughed. Elmo finally disappeared into oblivion. The boy cried. "Elmo! More! Elmo!" And thus the boy loves to see Elmo. He loves to see Elmo get hurt. And he hates it when Elmo is gone.

The Easter bunny brought the boy a new Elmo balloon last weekend, so we get to continue to live the love/hate relationship. Perhaps the boy will enjoy seeing this one smashed by the construction equipment in the neighborhood...