I tend to be scatter-brained on a good day.
Add the natural craziness of Christmas prep and the added stress of directing a production in the first week of December, and I can’t be trusted to remember anything.
In the week after the play, I forgot two major things. One was a girls-only party given by a good friend. I honestly had no nagging feeling that I was supposed to be doing something that night. I just completely forgot about it. I was so frustrated when someone asked me the next day why I hadn’t been there. If there are a bunch of women hanging out and laughing, I want to be there.
Grrr.
But worse, much worse . . . was what I forgot the following Saturday.
A 4 year old’s birthday party. I remembered it after the party had already started. It was a party that my daughter was so excited to go to. I ran to my gift closet to see what I had stashed away for a girl. The only thing in there was a little costume that wouldn’t fit the birthday girl.
So . . . I grabbed a doll. A doll that I had bought to give to my daughter.
A doll that I bought after my daughter fell in love with her in the aisle at Walmart. A ten dollar baby that I hoped my daughter wouldn’t remember.
Not sure why I thought my remembers-absolutely-everything daughter wouldn’t remember that baby.
Her little eyes widened in horror when she looked inside the bag to see what we were giving. “But I wanted that baby!”
And what was worse was that she didn’t cry or pitch a fit. She just looked so incredibly sad. She longingly watched the birthday girl open “her baby.”
My mommy-heart was breaking. I’m used to “making do.” I’m used to scrambling at the last minute because I procrastinated and/or completely forgot. I get frustrated with myself in these moments.
But to see my child’s heart breaking because of my scatter-brainedness was horrible.
So, I looked for another one.
And looked.
And looked.
I asked every Walmart employee I could find if they’d seen one. They knew exactly the one I was talking about. The humongous ten dollar baby that looks real.
Maybe they’re out in the garden area.
Maybe they’re at the front of the store.
Maybe when another shipment comes in . . .
More than once, I fought back tears of guilt. How could I have given away the one baby my daughter had her heart set on? I kept seeing flashbacks of her cooing to it and bouncing it on her hip in the aisle the first time she saw it.
I tried to convince myself that Christmas is not about presents, and that this would not, in fact . . . scar her for life.
But my normally effective in-my-head speech giving wasn’t working.
I kept looking.
And then, on our way to my family’s Christmas last weekend, I stopped at a Walmart three hours away to get a few supplies for our assigned meal.
I took a stroll through the toy department. I tried not to get my hopes up as I scanned the bottom row on the doll aisle. That was where I’d seen them before. I gave up and turned around . . . and right in front of my face was the foot of a humongous ten dollar baby.
At that point, I did cry.
_______________________
Ok here I am nursing my 3 month old, sleep deprived and hormonal and now in tears myself! I have only been following you for a week and you don’t know me from eve but I swear …..if that entry didn't end with a happy ending I was getting my keys and heading for walmart to check for you!! I am so glad that you found it! And speeking of forgetfulness, every year I order flowers for my parents and my in laws….so when my husband was talking with his mum I naturally ask "so…..did she like her flowers? " …..and then it hit me……that was on my to do list..oops. not to mention that they live in this tiny town where there is only one flower shop. So I am terrified that when I call tomorrow the florist is going to tell me….."so sorry but we are sold out Perhaps u should have called sooner then the day before christmas eve". Wish me luck!
(Signed – ur scatter brained long lost twin)
Oh Nony so happy you found it !!!!!!!! I did something similiar and the guilt is so overwhelming. We were invited last minute to a party and my daughter had outgrown a lot of toys which were being stored in the spare bedroom. I suggested giving the princess hopscotch she said no way. So then I just wrapped up a princess puzzle book that was going to value village. When the girl opened the present my daughter kept it together but on the way home from the party she asked why I had given that without asking and it was her favourite and so on. I felt so guilty I called everywhere and ended up spending 30.00 on a similiar one which she was happy to have. Of course it was never opened or looked at ever!!! But I couldnt live with the guilt although I had an idea she would not use it.
Note will never do that again ever!!!!!!!!!
I'm scatter-brained ALL the time, and that was before holiday season. I keep promising my 6yo that we are going to make homemade marshmallows and she has "earned" the right several times. Honestly, either I haven't had the time or energy. Its been at least 2 weeks since I saw the recipe that we all were so excited about. And now we are so booked I don't know if we will get to them until after Christmas. She doesn't ask about them anymore, and I quit promising. Poor little girl.
Thank you so much for sharing your scatter-brain stories too. I won't say it makes me feel good because I feel your pain so sharply, but it does help to know I'm not the only one who does things like this.
And amanda b, you have the new baby excuse! You're allowed all kinds of scatter-brain episodes for at least a year!
This made me cry too. I will never forget the christmas that I wanted a toy so bad, but we had opened all the gifts and it wasn't there. Then my uncle from another state showed up with one last present for me. They were all sold out but he was able to get one in the big city. I still have that toy. This is why every time someone asks my kids what santa will bring them and they come up with a new item, I have to run out and try my best to get it.
Awww Nony, I'm totally crying right now! I'm so glad there was a good ending to your story!
Wow, I think we are ALL breathing a collective sigh of relief right now!! So happy you found that doll! Have a Merry Christmas Nony!
I love when someone else is as scatter brained as me:) I’m so glad you found the doll!!
My daughter found that same exact doll this past Christmas season at our Wal-mart. She did the same thing your daughter did! So of course I had to get it for her. Luckily, she did get it for Christmas! I’m so glad your daughter got hers, too!
OOOooooohmygosh. I almost cried!! I actually felt how stressed you were about this, AND your relief. Glad you found another one 🙂
I know this is old, but I’m also glad you found the doll! I am so terribly scatterbrained, it’s scary. My saving grace is the Cozi app on our smart phones. Best.decision.ever. We pay for it, but it keeps us from forgetting everything. I love having my calendar and shopping list at my finger tips, because otherwise, I will forget. (I have to make it a non-negotiable to check it though.)
i am so glad i am not the only scatter brain! i feel like the worst person in the whole wide world because of it too sometimes, especially when i do really mean things to ppl, like stand them up and forget their very special day, simply cos i forgot, or lost their invite
I love this story and I relate to it soooo much! :'(
I’m so glad you found it mommy!