Erin Loves Brad: Tales of Toe

In our household, Toes are important. Not in the "they help us stand up and walk" kind of way but in the "they are basically extra members of the family" kind of way. What? That's not a thing in your house?

I have no idea how it started. Brad and I aren't particularly taken with our feet, so Claire came up with that all by herself. "Toe" was one of the first words that she used correctly on a regular basis, and she loved seeing anybody's toes (flip flop season was a favorite for her).

Even at 3, she's still quite taken with toes. What I mean by this is that she considers them beings with their own thoughts and personalities and loves to "interact" with them. We all tend to go barefoot at home fairly regularly, so she's able to talk to toes pretty often. Conversations usually revolve around asking Toe questions. Things like, "Do you want to eat Goldfish, Toe?" or "Toe, do you want to watch George?" When she was younger, Brad and I would make Toe "answer" with fake, high-pitched voices. As Claire got older, if we didn't immediately respond on Toe's behalf, she would just use her own fake, high-pitched voice and answer her own question on Toe's behalf. This is still a daily activity, actually.

Sometimes she tells stories to Toe or shows Toe books or toys. The other day, she took her princess dolls and used them to make "finger" puppets on my toes. She got frustrated when my big toes wouldn't fit. Sorry, kid, but that's just how toes (don't) work. Although, her bath tub finger puppets are just the right size to fit on her own toes, so she takes advantage of that happy coincidence. She also checks in with Toe, making sure that Toe feels ok...which sometimes includes hugging and kissing Toe, if she determines that Toe isn't feeling up to par. How does she come up with this stuff?

Perhaps a very insightful look into how her mind thinks about Toe occurred last fall when we met up with Gran, Grandpa, and Uncle Tim in Charleston for the weekend (Tim was doing an away rotation for medical school), and she introduced the concept of "buddy toes." I was in the very early stages of sicky-sick first trimester and spent the entire time in bed, but Claire and Barbara had a fabulous time playing with Claire's Buddy Toes. I did not know about Buddy Toes until we got home, and I heard her talking about them. I assumed Barbara came up with and introduced the concept. I later asked her about how Buddy Toes came up, and she said she thought it was something that we'd started at home. So, Claire, apparently, decided that she would turn her toes into her buddies and refer to them thusly.

She even encourages her buddy toes in important endeavors, like getting into her pant legs. When she's putting on her pants (or tights), she spurs her toes on with cheers of, "Go, toes, GO!"

Toe gets praised for good behavior: "Toe, that was SO polite!"

And sometimes, Toe's behavior is less admirable: "Mommy, Toe is disobeying."

When asked to pick items up off the floor, she often responds with, "Toe can do it!" Sometimes Toe can, and sometimes Toe needs to leave it to Hand, if we're being frank.

Although, sometimes Claire realizes that Toe can't do everything: "Toe, I can help you!"

Toe occasionally demonstrates maternal instincts: "Toe, would you kiss my boo-boo?"

Articulation is not always Toe's forte, though, prompting questions like, "What was that, Toe? What ya talkin' 'bout?"

Toe is willing to be a good friend, though: "Here, Toe, hold my hand!"

While Claire sat at her child-sized table for breakfast one morning, Toe was attempting to climb up the table leg so she could sit on the table with Claire's cereal. Brad Dream-Crusher Boswell put an end to Toe's adventuring, unfortunately, explaining that toes do not get to sit on the table. How unfortunate for Toe.

Toe also has ambitions of eating just like the rest of us: "Toe is trying to eat my crackers and Cheerios, Mommy!"

Again, please be reminded that Toe is viewed as a separate entity with her own personality and abilities.
Claire: Toe is ready to get out of the bathtub.
Me: You're ready to get out?
Claire: No, but Toe is.
Alriiiight. Not sure how to pull that one off.

Recently, Claire needed to apologize for something that she really didn't want to, so, she responded with, "Toe can say sorry." As if Toe could be sent to do Claire's bidding. Yeah...that's not going to cut it.

Brad and Claire were in her room, getting her ready for bed one night. Partway through the process, she crawled under her covers and stayed there. Brad asked what she was doing.

Claire: Playing with my family.

Brad: Who?

Claire: My toes!
Claire's interest in her toes and the resulting interactions have become such a normal part of our everyday life that I sometimes forget that other families don't think of appendages as separate personalities. Perhaps it's weird, but we choose to see it as comical and endearing. I'll probably try to discourage it come Kindergarten, but until then, I'll do my best to make sure Toe politely answers inquiries directed her way.