Guys and Dolls

It was cold this morning when we left the house to go grocery shopping, so the Bumble got bundled. This is her latest favorite ensemble: Her blue fleece jacket, a warm red scarf, and of course her father's 1980 Olympics hat.



She grabbed her baby doll and we were on our way. After we finished shopping, she cuddled her baby doll at the check-out line. An old man in the next lane kept looking over at the Bumble with a very concerned expression on his face. I didn't think anything of it, but when we finished paying, he rushed up to us and thrust a toy car into the Bumble's hands. She looked up, very confused. I did the same. He said, "Here! I loved playing with these when I was a little boy!"

I smiled and not knowing quite what to say, I turned to the Bumble and said, "Oh! How nice! You've been wanting one of these, haven't you, Sweetie?"

The old man sighed and said, "Of course he has! THIS is what little boys like to play with!" as he shook his head at the baby doll. Then he said, "Here, Sport. Take another one" as he gave the Bumble a second toy car. I said, "Thank you?" and he walked away.

So I guess the moral of the story is... mothers of small boys should let them play with baby dolls if they want to get free toy cars from old men at the grocery store.