Creating Memories

I was thinking about the ay it was my daughter's Build-a-Bear monkey George's 1st birthday and how excited we all were! Call me daft, but I believe it is important to create memories for our children. To them, their so-called soft toys are an important part of their lives and to celebrate this with her is as important as doing it for any friend. So on the morning of the big day, I got up early, blew up some balloons and even put up the birthday banner. I even had a cup-cake ready with a candle and had placed his card (handmade with love by my daughter) and the wrapped present (a pair of sunglasses) on the lounge table, so when she brought him down in the morning, it was all a big surprise! It only took half an hour in preparation, but I know my daughter appreciated my effort and will look back on it with a fond memories. Yes, I could have done the practical thing in pointing out that a soft-toy is just that a toy and doesn't celebrate birthdays, but it is the anniversary of him being such a huge part of our family.  George came with us on our holiday to Rome, passport and all, and looking back at all the photographs, we seem to have more photos of him than of our daughter! I don't know if enabling her is a good thing, but as an only child, I am comforted that she never feels alone or scared with George by her side, and as I hope one day for God to replace that crutch in her life, I am happy to play along in stretching her imagination in the meantime.