17 Feb Look Closer!
This is Tylor
He is adorable, calm, sweet and……. totally plastic. That is right, he is a doll.
My daughter treats Tylor as her very own 3 week old baby boy. Each day she changes, burps and feeds him. On the weekends, we take him for walks in an actual pram (stroller) that we’ve had for years. Considering that Tylor looks very real and we are parading him in a life size pram, we get into some sticky situations. One in particular that I will share with you…
One Sunday my daughter persuaded me to take her, Tylor-in-pram, and Buster (our dog) to Southbank. This was NOT an easy task. Picture me trying to carry the pram down the Underground stairs, with the dog pulling me one way and my daughter the other. We managed to make it onto our train with seconds to spare before the doors close. I quickly took inventory ensuring that everyone made it, before throwing myself onto the first seat I could find. My daughter did exactly the same as I, and the dog jumped onto her lap leaving….. Tylor-in-pram right by the doors that almost closed on us.
Just as we all caught our breath, the train slowed down at the next stop, and the doors swung open. I heard a bit of a kafuffle going on, but it took me a minute to realise that it was us who caused it. As the doors opened, several people gasped and leaped out of their seats to catch Tylor-in-pram which almost disembarked solo at West Wimbledon station. Thankfully someone caught it in time! Once the train doors closed, I began to feel dozens of eyes glaring at me, and I knew for certain that some were ready to call social services. I looked at my daughter helplessly, who then got up to thank the person holding onto Tylor and took hold of the pram.
For a minute there was silence and finally someone spoke to me. In a very polite British tone, the woman said: ‘you may want to move your baby away from the doors to avoid any major disasters.’ (she wanted to add ‘You absolute Tosser!)’.
‘Thank you’ I smiled back ‘my daughter made a mistake and left Tylor unattended’ and I took Tylor out for all to see. ‘but please note that he is a doll, not a real baby.’
She looked embarrassed. Not because it wasn’t an easy mistake to make, but because she, along with the rest of the train, assumed that I was an unfit mother.
Please remember that it’s always nice to give someone the benefit of the doubt.
Lets talk,
JT