The Princess Pig

It is always hard to know what to get for the birthday of a three year old.  Do you purchase more toys? Do you construct something that will last for years? (I should say have your husband construct something….) Should a grandparent buy more books? It is just hard to know.

I asked my daughter in law what she would like my granddaughter to have. It was suggested to look for a piggy bank. When my husband and I went to the store to look for one we were amazed at the variety of banks that are now available to kids…..Elsa banks, Mickey Mouse banks, Darth Vader banks, and the list goes on.

I remember as a kid, having a clear glass piggy bank that had no way to get the money back out. No opening in the bottom with a rubber stopper. We became pretty adept at holding the pig upside-down, sticking a butter knife into the coin slot, wiggling the knife till coins were parallel and then moving the bank “just so” to have the coins slide back out.  This was way better than the alternative which was to just break the bank!

Once our banks did end up hitting the ground and shattering into thousands of tiny pieces our banking consisted of a nestles quick box.  I can still remember the smell of chocolate as we opened it up to add coins to the collection.

In our search for the perfect bank, my husband and I opted for the classic pig bank. This particular one had a slight twist on the classic look — a little blingy crown and a pink tutu. My husband kind of wondered about the “ruffly thing” but I assured him a little girl would be impressed with that.  We also wondered about the durability of a ceramic pig.

When our granddaughter opened her present she was pretty impressed.  She touched the little rhinestones in the crown, smoothed the tutu and started lugging that pig everywhere. She also named this pig, “Princess Pig”.

Our fear about the ceramic construction of the bank was soon put to rest. We saw the pig hit the ground  2-3 times and it stayed in one piece. (that was a huge relief!)  My son is convinced it is not your typical ceramic….I think he might be right.

It was also decided by the three year old that Princess Pig needed a little snack. We laughed when we saw she had put a small plastic ear of corn on the plate. Somewhere along the line the genetics of her farmer granddads is pulling through.

It was so much fun to watch her play with that pig. She carried it everywhere she went. It sat by us as we read books. It watched us as we ate supper. The pig even had a small box made into a bed so it would have a place to sleep.

It is a great lesson to learn from a small granddaughter…..something does not have to be big and it does not have to be spendy in order to be enjoyed.  There is joy to be found in the small things. There is a joy to be found in twinkly pink rhinestones and a ruffly tutu on a ceramic pig.  And there is a great sense of joy to be found in watching your grandchildren enjoy those small things.

May your weekend be filled with a child-like sense of joy and wonder.

“See the world through the eyes of your inner child.
The eyes that sparkle in awe and amazement as they see love, magic and mystery in the most ordinary things.”
― Henna Sohail