Thursday, November 12, 2009

The Name Says It All

Maybe it was the fact that my husband and I are hosting Thanksgiving dinner and need more seating—or maybe we just needed some retail therapy—but a couple of weeks ago we bought a new couch for our family room. We got a big, comfy leather sectional that has a recliner on each end—my husband’s primary requirement.
This couch replaces a 20-year-old one my husband bought in college. It’s a couch so worn out I’m too embarrassed to show you a photo of it.
I didn’t realize my husband and I were the only family members excited about the new couch until after the movers delivered it. “Come try out the new couch!” I said to James.
“No,” he said. Instead he went into the garage, where we were keeping the old couch until the person whom responded to our Freecycle ad for it could pick it up. “Aren’t we going to keep Couchy?” he asked, resting his head against the back of the old couch.
Couchy? Who is Couchy? Oh, you mean that decrepid thing? “No, someone else is going to take it,” I said. “Now come in the house and try out our new couch!”
“I don’t want to sit on Mr. Couch,” James replied, sulking.
Until that point, I didn’t realize that James was losing a friend. Couchy didn’t mind if he and Ethan jumped up and down on its cushions. It also didn’t care if they got Goldfish crumbs all over it, or spilled juice on it. They could take Couchy’s cushions off and build forts with them any time.
Mr. Couch, on the other hand, won’t put up with any of that nonsense.

14 comments:

TALON said...

That's so cute - Couchy!

Tell James not to worry - in a few year Mr. Couch won't be quite so formal and will tolerate a little goldfish crumbs!

Anonymous said...

My kids were pretty ticked when MR. COUCH moved into our house too and that mommy is soooo very mean to them when they hurt MR. COUCH. :)

betty said...

oh how cute! I feel for Couchy; he seems like such a great member of the family; I can under your little one not wanting Couchy to be replaced. On the other hand, I totally sympathize with your desire to have Mr. Couch take up permanent residence

betty

jabblog said...

Familiarity is security but I'm sure the boys will soon learn to love your Mr Couch - especially the reclining parts!

Destiny's child... said...

I am sure everyone will relate with this one. As kids, we get easily attached (and yes detached too) to anything...:)

hokgardner said...

We had tears by the gallon when we replaced our old couch with the new one (and then replaced the new one again because it was defective). Both girls were strangely attached to the furniture - and don't even get me started on what happened when we sold our old car.

We took pictures of the old furniture with the girls sitting on it, and that helped calm them down.

Maude Lynn said...

Awwww!

Jen said...

Awww...but Mr. Couch likes to snuggle! ;) And he holds blankets for forts just swell. LOL

Cookie said...

ROFL! I had no idea kids had such an opinion on couches.

Cant delete this! said...

You'll have to get a bunch of pillows. They'll love that. Our kids loved the box that came with ours. It was a store with an open/closed sign and designed with lots of crayons.

Tanya @ TeenAutism said...

Nigel had a hard time when we got a new couch early this year. I kept the old one for about a week or so, which helped him say goodbye to it. Our living room was super crowded, though!

Lynn said...

A year from now Mr. Couch will probably feel as much love as Couchy did. :)

pixiemama said...

Couchy - that sounds just like a name Foster would give something. Our red car is Car-y. House is Housie. Back pack - Backpackie.

Yeah. Attached. That's one way to say it...

Janice said...

That so captures it! Aren't kids amazing like that.

I'm so afraid to get rid of our car. Probably will have to drive it till DB gets his license and wants something nicer to drive.