Constant companions

We watched Toy Story this afternoon. Part way through, Little G solemnly declared that even when he's "bigger and big" he'll still want to take Benji (his bear) to bed; Little G is very firmly on Woody's side.

Benji was given to him when he was about 3 weeks old by my sister, who goes by the Blip-name of Pippilongstock, but he is often mistaken when we're out and about for a bear of much greater vintage. He has been pretty much everywhere with Little G - the beach, the garden, the shops, as well as to bed (of course) - and has consequently had more spins through the washing machine than can be good for a bear of his age. It took a while for Benji to be established as Top Toy, however. By the time his status was clear it was too late for us to purchase a convincing body double in case of accident. So now we live in fear of losing Benji.

When Littler G arrived and was given a lovely pink cat by her grandparents, we thought we'd be smart. We thought we'd purchase a second upfront, and encourage this to be the Chosen One, then switch them periodically so that they'd get "loved" [worn] at the same rate and we'd always have one on standby. Simple. Or not. Katie Cat, as she became known, has indeed become a favourite. However, the duplicate was discovered early on, and now we just have a daughter who is attached to two pink cats - both called Katie - who both have to be present at almost all times. So we're no better off at all.

Just goes to show, parents will always be (at least) one step behind!