The Tale of Ted Berenger


When Lucas was around 3 or 4 years old, he requested a baby doll. Nothing fancy, just a plain little boy baby doll that he could take care of. We picked one out on Amazon that had tan skin and blue pajamas, which were promptly stripped off the baby and discarded. Lucas named him Ted Berenger; only Lucas knows why, but I suspect that it was in honor of Tom Bergeron, the host of America's Funniest Videos. 

He was interested in Ted Berenger for all of 15 minutes, and then he was added to his ever growing menagerie of stuffed animals. We never expanded his baby play collection; no wardrobe of baby clothes. No stroller, no crib, no bottles or other accessories; it just never went beyond the want for a little baby. Luke would snuggle him from time to time, but he was mostly forgotten. 

Yet somehow, through the periodic toy purges, room cleanouts, garage sales and general rearranging of boy stuffs, Ted Berenger has lived on. He has remained under our roof, naked, but not alone with Alligae the alligator, Foxy the fox and Baby Otter to keep him company in the closet. Oh, I really hope that Toy Story isn't for reals. 

And now Ted Berenger exists in our baby Max's toy collection, waiting for the day he will pick him up and snuggle him, or simply ignore him in favor of trucks or blocks or whatever babies like. We didn't know it at the time, but Lucas was preparing himself to be a big brother, and what a good big brother he is. 

Parents, don't be afraid to get your boys dolls (or your girls tool sets! You know the drill, it's 2018). In our experience, it was a great way to foster and encourage caring, something all humans can benefit from. There's nothing weird about getting your boy a doll ... unless they are creepy dolls, and that's another post for another time. 

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