No, the tragedy centered around a tiny stuffed animal that had become lost. Sydney couldn't possibly fall asleep without "Little Unicorn." Little Unicorn had arrived in our house just two days earlier via a McDonald's Happy Meal, and had quickly claimed a spot in Sydney's heart.
(To give you an idea of Little Unicorn's size, it's one of three critters Sydney is holding in the photo above.) The other two animals are known simply as Elephant and Lion. Little Unicorn needed the added name to distinguish it from her unicorn Pillow Pet.Keeping all that straight? These are important details when you're three.
Sydney so loved Little Unicorn that she insisted on bringing it to daycare with her. Bringing toys is a no-no, and so we compromised and said she could bring him with in the car, but couldn't bring him inside. I helped her squeeze Little Unicorn into her coat pocket, and sent her off with Jeff.
That was in the morning.
By bedtime, Little Unicorn was nowhere to be found. Oh, the tears! She was in no mood to hear a "this is why we don't take our favorite toys out of the house" lesson. I told Sydney her Little Unicorn must be sleeping in the black truck (which Jeff had driven to his weekly rink-flooding duties) and that we would find it in the morning.
Finally she calmed down and was close to falling asleep when, as (bad) luck would have it, Jeff arrived home. If Daddy is home, then so is the black truck, which means Little Unicorn should be home, too. It's amazing all the connections her three-year-old mind can make.
"Daddy," she called. "Can you find Little Unicorn?"
Jeff headed out to look, returning a few minutes later. No Little Unicorn.
The tears started again.
"Did you sneak Little Unicorn into school with you?" I asked.
She never really answered, which I interpreted to be a confession of guilt. To again try and calm her down, I told her Little Unicorn must be sleeping in her cubby at school, and that Daddy would help her find it in the morning. This glimmer of hope wasn't enough to immediately stop the tears, but eventually calmed her enough and she slept.
The next morning, finding Little Unicorn was all Sydney could talk about. She fully cooperated with getting out of bed, dressing and eating breakfast - all so she could get to school and find her little friend.
As I zipped up her coat, a thought occurred to me. Check the pockets. Yes! Little Unicorn had been there all along.
Sydney giggled: a mix of joyous relief and excitement. "Silly Unicorn," she proclaimed. "He was snuggling in my pocket."
She then wrapped her arms around my neck, "I'm so happy!"
I just can't wait for the teenage drama years.
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