You Break It, You Bought It

Today Alec and I were at the fabric store (I have to make a zig-zag for his shirt because Dad insists on a Charlie Brown costume for Halloween. I wanted Curious George. So we're having two costumes). I always give him merchandise to hold and play with in the store because, well, I just want to. Anyway, I gave him this squirrel figurine that I thought was made of resin or some sturdy material. Alec starts calling it "Jumpy," like the squirrel on Curious George. All of a sudden he dashes it to the floor: "Smash!" Tail off. I relate this story because my first instinct was to hide the darn thing; pretend it never happened. Then I wished he were a little older so it would be a "teachable moment" or whatever crap regarding you break it you bought it. Anyway, I told the checker we broke it and she said we could either leave it or buy it for 75 percent off, so we did the latter. It was only 24 cents and now we have our own Jumpy squirrel with a broken-off tail.