Muppet

Yesterday, someone, whom I didn't know from Adam, asked me a what I thought to be a very odd question; "why muppet?". Huh? Why do I call my child muppet? Why does anyone really have a nickname? Why do some people talk about themselves in the third person? For that matter, why do some people don't even use their first names and only go by their middle name?

Ok that aside, I think the person's question threw me because right before she asked me with one eye brow cocked and looking at me over her sun glasses she called her daughter, and I quote, "sugga-bugga-buger-bugga-boo-boo". Say what? Why don't you just call her "supercalifragilisticexpialidocious"? But in all fairness we all as parents have odd nicknames for our children; I think her question just came out of the blue and I wasn't even talking to this person, so it sorta felt like a personal jab. But I digress and I'll get off my soap box.

But it's true, my nickname for Ethan is muppet and I know I have used that nickname here before and I thought I would explain the sweet story that lead to it. Christopher's schedule and mine were alway different and on his days off Christopher would stay home with Ethan, it was there father-son bonding times. (Christopher always looked forward to these days). Well; Ethan must have been about 3 or 4 months old and we were working with him to sit up on his own. One day I came home from work and sitting in the chair was Christopher with Ethan on his lap. As I walked in the house Christopher sat Ethan up, grabbed his arms and started moving them around while Christopher sang, "Hello my baby, hello my darlin, hello my rag-time gale..."

I cracked up laughing for so many reasons and asked Christopher if he enjoyed making our son into his little "puppet". And right as Christopher replied, "he's more like a muppet", Ethan opened his mouth and made what can only be describe as the sound Animal from the muppets makes. And the nickname was born. But we only used it when we talked to each other about Ethan; never to others. It was our pet name for us and us alone. However, after Christopher passed I remembered that story and I remembered the laugher that came from it - so I use it now as my nickname for Ethan. It reminds me of the bond Ethan and Christopher had, it reminds me of the belly laugh we had from it and most of all it was a time before cancer. Ethan is my muppet, but his nickname means so much more to me than just that.

So, you still wondering what I told that woman? I told her it was a family name passed down through the generations..... Ya, that got me an even stranger look. Sorta like the one your making right now. :}