Silly

I would be remiss if I did not document a very important part of our lives during this season. Recently a fascination with certain little items has gripped the nation, and my children have joined in. They are featured in our discussions. They go with us to school. They attend church with us. They are a big part of neighborhood play time. They help us learn colors, counting and shapes. They bring children to sweeping heights of joy, and they cause blistering fights and bitter tears...all in the same afternoon.

Yes, I'm talking about silly bands.

They've been a part of our lives for the last couple months. I don't know where they came from, but they were an immediate sensation in our house. Silly bands are little rubber bracelets that are shaped like dinosaurs, zoo animals, food, musical instruments -- anything you can imagine. Cool neighbor Josh even has Bible-themed silly bands. If I were to dig up Batman or Star Wars silly bands, I would most definitely win Mother of the Year. Possibly Mother of the Century.


On any given afternoon, you can find all the neighborhood children gathered around the utility box in the neighbor's yard earnestly trading silly bands for all they're worth. There are some shrewd little bargainers out there at the Silly Band Tradin' Post. It's not a place for the weak or gullible. Younger customers are encouraged to be accompanied by a parent.

What cracks me up most is that Libby keeps stealing the boys' silly bands and wearing them. She is obsessed. She calls them her "Siy-yies" and shows them off to anyone who will look. She cries when she can't find any and surrenders them only at bedtime (and then with the greatest of reluctance).

I was further amused when the boys and I attended a picnic for the college students at our church on Sunday. The boys were wearing silly bands practically up to their elbows, and all the college students thought they were so cool -- college students wear them, too! Wow, these things unite everyone ages 23 months through 23 years! I was half-expecting Andrew to rig up a temporary trading station and open up for business then and there at the picnic. Good thing he didn't. I would've hated for him to have taken all those poor college students to the cleaners'.