Green

Back in August, my daughter adopted a friend.  He is green and lives in a garbage can.  You probably know him as Oscar the Grouch.  I spend a lot of time with him, so I can call him “Oscar” or “Ah-ga”.

Some might think that an Oscar the Grouch toy is an odd choice for a security item, and in many ways, I guess he is.  This particular Oscar has a couple of hard plastic pieces (forming his mouth and the bottom of his garbage can), so he’s not a very good cuddler.  He’s also (according to his label) not machine washable, though after a nighttime puke incident several weeks ago, he was summarily thrown into the wash and emerged without any ill effects.  Also, Oscar the Grouch the character isn’t one of Sesame Street’s more loveable cast members.  He can be mean, dirty and rude.  But that isn’t how my daughter sees him.   The Oscar the Grouch character is not my daughter’s Oscar.  He’s her soft and cuddly (and smelly!  Oscar might need to take a trip down to the laundry room again) buddy, who helps her fall asleep at night and comforts her after traumatic events.  He’s her near-constant companion.

As I have spent more time with Oscar and my daughter, a funny thing has happened to my perception of Oscar.  I no longer see him as “Oscar the Grouch”, the guy who loves trash, lives in a trashcan and is best friends with a worm.  When I hear Oscar’s “I Love Trash” song, or someone mentions any of the above traits, I have to stop and remember that that is what Oscar the Grouch is about.

So if you see my daughter, Oscar and me out and about, forgive me if I look at you strangely should you mention one of Oscar’s more typically grouch-like traits.  Because to me, my daughter’s favorite toy bears only a slight resemblance to the Sesame Street character on which he is based.

Erin is a mother to a 15-month old toddler, Emily, with another due in July.  She tries to divide her time between blogging, working and mothering (sometimes more successfully than others).  Her blog home is The Looney Bin, which is where you will find Kristen today. 

Make sure to check out the other folks today writing on the topic "Red" or "Green" and leave a comment. Click here for the list.

Comments

[Kara]

My daughter had a teletubbie named "Bubbie." I can't stand teletubbies, but she loved this little green guy. I never, even for a minute, thought of him as a teletubbie. He was just Bubbie, N's good friend.

[Mitch McDad]

sorry....in my house oscar takes a back seat to blue...aka the cookie monster. but personally, i'm a grouch man myself so you tell your daughter to keep up the good work.

[Alex Elliot]

Very cute! My son slept with a plastic rice scooper for a while. That's definitly not soft and cuddly!

[Heather]

Sometimes kids see things we don't. And isn't it great?

[mayberry]

Neither of my kids have adopted a lovey... I think it's a little sad! Very sweet story.

[Jack's Raging Mommy]

I have many fond memories of my Oscar the Grouch toy when I was a kid :)

[Her Bad Mother]

Oscar was my main man, alongside Kermie. GO GREEN.

[TB]

I loved Oscar as a child too. I always felt he was just misunderstood and if people would have just left him alone, all would have been well. Everyone else on Sesame Street just seemed a little too cheerful to me.
That probably explains a lot :o)

[juliloquy]

Nice post, and fun switcheroo!

I certainly didn't intend for my toddler to bond with the symbol for the U.S. Republican party, but like Erin and Oscar, I now dearly love my son's Ella Fitzgelephant. And I see it as symbolic that I respect his choices even if they wouldn't be my choices.

[Binky]

I guess sweetness, like beauty, is in the eye of the beholder.

[mombat]

Awww, sweet.

[Kristen]

If only all grouches were soft and cuddly like Oscar... maybe all they need is a little love and attention.