A boy and his monkey

February 19, 2011

According to his name tag, Douglas was originally christened ‘Dangles.’  My mom and I found him at a local gift shop when I was seven months pregnant.  I fell in love with him instantly.  I hugged him to my swollen belly and somehow I just knew he was the one.  He was my son’s best friend.

My mom and I misread the name in unison.  “Douglas!” we cried out.  Then we laughed at our mutual error.  He has been Douglas ever since.  Or, as my now four-year-old son calls him, “Dugwiss.”

I took Douglas home with me and set him in the crib where he patiently awaited the arrival of his best buddy.  He continued to sit, smiling from the corner, until my son was old enough to grab him and snuggle him to his chest.  The two have not slept a single night apart in my son’s whole life. 

Douglas has a blankie.  My son is clear on this point – he does not need a blankie because he is a tough guy.  Douglas, on the other hand, needs his blankie to feel safe. 

It is a small, yellow waffle textured baby blanket that Douglas is wrapped in every night before bed.  Douglas cannot sleep without it, and my son cannot sleep without Douglas.

Douglas has been by my son’s side through thick and thin.  He doesn’t leave the house much, because my son is deathly afraid of Douglas getting lost. 

Douglas travels reluctantly.  He likes to stay close to home, but he goes with us on trips because, as my son says, “Douglas is a good friend.”  When my son wakes up in an unfamiliar bed, he knows he’ll be okay because Douglas is there with his reassuring grin.

Douglas comforted my son when he gave up the bottle, and when he transitioned into a big boy bed.  He sat on the bathroom counter to watch my son learn to use the potty.  He loves to sit on the kitchen table to watch my son eat, especially when he is nervous about starting preschool or joining wrestling. 

Douglas has been diapered, shot at, tossed across the room, and dressed as a superhero.  He is the ultimate sidekick – always reliable, always friendly, always there.

In an ever changing world, Douglas is a constant.  Douglas never changes.  He never stops smiling, even when he is wrongly accused of spilling a box of crackers or throwing a ball that broke the window blinds.

Douglas is expressive. He isn’t afraid to admit the things my son thinks might not be manly. 

“Douglas is afraid of the dark sometimes,” my son says. 

“Douglas likes pink, but I don’t.”   My son has no choice but to color the occasional pink picture, just for Douglas.

Douglas is in our family photos.  My son wasn’t sure what he thought about that photographer until she asked him if his buddy Douglas would like to have his picture taken.  Douglas enjoyed having his picture taken so much, we hardly got a single shot without him. 

Douglas really likes being a part of things.  And sometimes, a guy just needs his monkey.

This article first appeared in the Lewistown News-Argus and the Sidney (Mont.) Herald on February 19, 2011.