Francene - Views on news
  • BLOG
  • About
  • Contact

Were you ever devastated by the loss of a toy?

4/20/2015

10 Comments

 
PictureA lost toy in a tree
A three-year-old boy lost his lion, Liley, at the stately home Hughenden Manor in Buckinghamshire last Easter.

He'd loved Liley since the age of 11 months old and the toy was so treasured that his parents had bought an identical backup, in case he ever got lost. When the dreaded event happened, the toddler could tell the difference and was on the verge of tears when "good Liley" went missing on Easter Monday.

Staff at the former home of Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli were notified, but didn't find the lion until two days later, in one of the boxes on the top floor. The people in the office got together with service staff to take photos of Liley in different places around the manor to show the boy his lost toy having an adventure.

Liley was returned last week along with a photo diary showing Liley driving a buggy, sitting on the chair in the study, supervising the gardening, and exploring different parts of the National Trust property.

And so, boy and toy were reunited to the delight of the family. Reminds me of the Paddington Bear adventures. Source: BBC News.

PictureBear on a cliff.
In 2012, a similar story from the US caught the public's imagination. A boy had lost his beloved stuffed monkey, Ah-ah, on a family vacation 500 miles away in the Rocky Mountains, only to be reunited with him three years later when his mother saw the cut-off tag and dryer-burnt hair of her son’s missing best friend on eBay.

Transitional objects like stuffed toys or soft blankets represent the security of the mother, which make the loss of the object even more traumatic. 

There's even a facebook group devoted to finding lost toys, and another on Pinterest.  People can post pictures of their lost or found toys; a missing teddy bear; a family desperately looking for the toy dog their boy lost in a supermarket; plus an ever-expanding supply of unclaimed toys found, listed, lined up and waiting for their rightful owners. A giraffe in Sheffield; a St Bernard in Stockholm; a wistful bear in Dingle marina, on the west coast of Ireland, looking out to sea.

People are so different. I never became attached to a toy in early childhood, and neither did my children. Hard to know why some children do and others don't. Psychologists say the relationship is a good thing, especially during the times when the mother and infant are parted.

Did you have a favorite toy?


10 Comments
Alana link
4/19/2015 08:28:56 pm

I had a favorite stuffed animal, a panda bear. I literally wore almost all of the fur off of it. In turn, my son had a favorite stuffed toy - a brown bear. When he was five, we visited my friend in New York City and left it there. We had to turn around and go back - fortunately we were only a half hour or so away from our house. But I can so see these other incidents you describe.

Reply
Lisa link
4/19/2015 09:48:39 pm

Heartwarming story, Francene. Love the "adventure" the lion was having. I didn't get attached to any toys growing up either. Though, one of my step-daughters (who is 26) still keeps a 2" x 2" square from her blanky and sleeps with it.

Reply
Nick #thisyearinmusic link
4/19/2015 10:27:45 pm

I remember very vividly being about 4 and playing with a small toy tractor at an unveiling of new houses. One house was a little shorter than I was so I was driving the tractor around the bricks. The inevitable happened and the tractor fell down between the bricks and we couldn’t get it back. As my parents still live near to that house I often wonder if my tractor is stuck in wall or if it was fished out somehow.

Reply
Amy link
4/19/2015 10:31:12 pm

Oh, Francene, this just touches my heart! My children all had beloved toys that they misplaced or lost at one time or another. I can remember feeling just as emotionally bereft as they did (if not more so!) at the loss of one of their favorite toys. Have you seen the movie "Toy Story"? That doesn't help matters any!

Reply
Ruchi SIngh link
4/20/2015 01:46:12 am

This is such a heart warming story. Kids really feel insecure if there is slight disruption in their daily life, which may leave a mark on them. Good to read your post, well written!!

Reply
Joan Harrington link
4/20/2015 02:22:03 am

What an awesome and inspirational post on losing a fav toy, Francene.

Honestly, I do not remember myself losing any but my own children have and I feel heartbroken for them :)

Great post!

Reply
Ajay Pai link
4/20/2015 03:23:05 am

I don't even remember having a toy. I remember, my parents buying me a 3 wheeler bicycle which i rode from 2-6 years.(i suppose). hmm. then I was gifted a carrom board etc. But my lil Chimp Ishaan, has too many compared to what I had. But he is behind Ants. Phew !

Reply
K.Lee Banks link
4/20/2015 04:30:35 am

So neat about the little lion's adventures - how nice for them to do that and then return the toy!

I don't remember my toys as much as I remember making stuffed animals for my two sisters. I was in 7th grade, and started taking home economics. I had also started learning to sew at home, because my mom was a seamstress and began teaching me.

I was so excited about making those stuffed animals for my sisters, I was more interested in watching them open those gifts at Christmas than I was about opening my own!

And THEN...they kept those stuffed animals and eventually passed them on to THEIR kids!

Reply
Angelica link
4/20/2015 05:32:52 am

I had a favorite teddy bear all throughout my childhood and early adulthood that I loved. I was very attached to it. Then, I got my pitbull and my teddy bear became her chew toy. Sadly, that was the end of my teddy but I just think my dog wanted me to cuddle with her and not the toy :)

Reply
Tamala link
4/20/2015 05:37:04 am

Look at how technology can be of service in such a way... I can't believe the mom found the toy on EBAY! That is incredible to me. Back in the day.. you were just out of luck. Amazing and what an awesome and touching post. Thank you so much for making me smile on this day.

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    Author

    Francene Stanley
    From England, I use news items in my novels which you can see below, all linked to an Amazon near you.

    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture

    Archives

    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015

    Categories
    news
    earth
    sea
    space
    environment
    people
    animals
    fish
    birds 

    experience 
    writing
    novels

    All

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.