My daughter has developed a deep fondness for a small plastic farmer named Bob who must be told about any little incident that happens in our home i.e.food that somehow mysteriously ends up all the floor or who ate (yes really ate) the toilet roll! Each time this mysterious presences strikes my daughter cries ‘Oh no’! and runs for Bob as if he will somehow sniff out the culprit. Note she is never to blame and acts as shocked as her parents when such incidents occur. The latest occurence had Bob truely stumped…who had upended the the container of magnetic letters that sat on the edge of the easal simply tempting passers-by to knock it over. Sure a small, slightly mischievous toddler had been the last one seen in the vicinity but Bob is not one to accpet the obvious. Clearly this case went much deeper than that.
I was first on the scene having heard a loud noise in the kitchen. I rushed in. There stood my little girl surrounded by letters. ‘Oh no!’ she cried looking around in shock then ‘Bob!’ She ran to fetch him. I could only guess what his theory would be. She returned with Bob. He paid close attention to the layout of the letters in case any pattern might have emerged but it seemed random… our mystery suspect wasn’t up for giving any clues yet. I tentatively suggested that perhaps a certain tiny person might be under suspicion -Bob’s chilling unchanging expression told me all I needed to know. He would not rest until my daughter was cleared of all charges.
The case remains open and the letters have not been moved.
(Mis) Adventures in Toddlerdom 