Confession: My oldest toddler has been sleeping with a $1 bill in her crib for about a week, maybe 10 days.
Why? Who knows. This is just one of those occurrences I wish I could explain in a logical, rational way, but I just can’t. She’s a toddler and does strange things. I mean, she’s told me that she likes loves money. And she does enjoy paying the checkout people when we go to the store. In the past she’s asked Erajh for money and he’s given her some coins or a one dollar, but she eventually loses interest and walks away from it. This time, not so much.
Yes, yes, I know that this is more than a little worrisome. Money is dirty and doesn’t belong in children’s hands, let alone their sleeping spaces, but if I try to take it out of her crib, she looks for it in the middle of the night causing me to have to walk to her room at 4am and put the dollar back in her crib. Hey, I need sleep, so I’m going to just let her sleep with the dollar in the crib. She doesn’t cuddle with it or anything, it’s just there in the corner.
Even more disconcerting is the fact that Greenleigh is very particular about what is in her crib. She doesn’t like dolls in bed with her. She doesn’t like stuffed animals in bed with her. And she’s even particular about the blankets she sleeps with. I was barely able to talk her into allowing her lovey in bed. And yet, a dollar bill makes the guest list. Every night. Day in and day out, it’s Greenleigh, a travel pillow, a baby pillow my mother-in-law made, 3 blankets (pink, blue with snowflakes & white), a white bunny lovey, and a dollar bill. I just figure it’s a phase and it too shall pass.
Despite my ability to just roll with it, these “phases” become a problem when an outsider is introduced into the mix, like last weekend when we got a sitter at Disney. Right there, in the middle of discussing the girls’ allergies, medications, and personalities, I had to explain why there was a dollar bill in Greenleigh’s crib. In an attempt to laugh it off I said something like, “Yeah, I know it’s weird for a 3 year old to sleep with a dollar bill, apparently I’m raising the next Alex P. Keaton.” To which I was greeted with a blank stare. It was then that I realized that the 20-something babysitter had no idea who Alex P. Keaton was. When did I get so old? When did my references get so outdated?
For those of you who might not be familiar, Alex P. Keaton was a fictional character on a popular 1980’s American sitcom called Family Ties. Played by Michael J. Fox, Alex was interested in all things related to economics and wealth, most importantly cash. This was a poignant juxtaposition from his one time hippy do-gooder parents on the show. There were jokes on the show about Alex’s first dollar bill. For full information on the character you can click here. Now that we’ve cleared that up, please go try to catch a re-run on TV Land. It was a good show.
After a brief explanation similar to the one above, the sitter laughed and we chatted about what a strange attachment it was. As I thought about it later that night, I couldn’t help but think that other kids must get attached to strange things too. After all, when I was 1-2 years old a wooden spoon was my best friend. There were times when my mom couldn’t separate us, and there’s more than one picture in the photo albums of me with my spoon. And yet, last weekend the sitter acted as if this was the only time she’d ever seen a child attached to an “odd” item.
Anyone else’s child/toddler been or currently attached to something strange? Maybe not a dollar bill, but I’m hoping I’m not alone on this one. And even if your child hasn’t had a strange attachment, could you please just reassure me that people still remember Family Ties? My husband still has the Family Ties movie on VHS at his parents’ house, you know the one where they went to England. I’ll explain VHS later.
Although I don’t have kids, for me growing up a bright red haired doll was my favorite. I took her every where and it got to the point where my mom had to replace her a few times so I didn’t destroy her completely. Now, I have three of the same doll (I’m 25) and I love it! Keep the dollar, I say! She may be a future Donald Trump!
Is it the same dollar, by the way?
My son got attached to a jacket that my grandmother had made for me out of old sheets. It’s hard to describe except that it looked like Big Bird except it wasn’t yellow. LOL. I had a child care boy who was attached to one of his mom’s shirts, they had cut a scrap of it out for him to carry around. So, I don’t think a $1 bill is all that odd. And I loved Family Ties! 🙂
First, I loved “Family Ties” back in the day! Second, my 18 month old believes that anytime a wallet is opened, he should get whatever card or cash that is being taken out. His favorite is the bright red debit card. He just likes to hold them, and then give them to the checkout people. As long as she is not putting the dollar in her mouth, I think having it in the corner of the bed is fine. Pick your battles, I say. Good luck!
I think this is compleatly okay and normal.
If u are really concerned about the germs, then I would wash it.
My son (now 6) has had a fascination about money since he was 3 and coins are among is favorite. We have people sending him unique money now, that’s how well known his money collecting is, lol.. My husbands friend from England sends him their currency often. And since he too has been known to sleep with some I just wash it all. I know that sounds odd but he handles it everyday and u don’t know where some of it has been. I’ve washed all but the $2 bill that had never been in circulation. I take the coins and sit in a bowl of warm soapy water and wash the rinse it off, and dry it. The bills I run them under tap water, put a little GermX on it scrub reall well then rice it off. I lay both on a towel to dry, i’ll rub the bils gently with a towel. I hope that idea helps in your worrying about the germs. And I would defiantly keep her dollar, you can right the amount of time she carried it on it then put in her baby book. Or put in the book and right the info underneath it of you don’t want to write in the bill itself.
And I too know what Family ties is, we still watch it.
And VHS, too, lol!!
Hi! Found you from Twitter Hop Tuesday! My toddler does not sleep with wierd items, but if we hang blankets on the side of the crib, he will pull every single on in and sleep on top of them. It is just crazy to me how kids sleep.
I have six children ranging in age between 10 and 29. All of them have taken a shine to something unusual. My oldest slept with a puppet dog. When he left for the Navy, Dogger went with him as a piece of home in his footlocker. I teased him about getting beat up for it. He assured me that there were far more embarrassing things in footlockers. My youngest had about ten rocks under his pillow last week. Enjoy it.
At a party, I discovered that my friend’s son has recently become attached to toothbrushes and carries one with him at all times. I smiled and asked him to brush my teeth which he did with glee – later I saw the toothbrush fall on the ground several times. Then I was less than amused… Love Family Ties. Love VHS.
Yay! A fellow Family Ties lover! And you probably held it together better than I would have when I saw the toothbrush on the floor. I’m not a germaphobe, but eeek!