Effing Nala

My boss recently returned from Disney World with thoughtful gifts for my children.  So thoughtful, in fact, that she not only remembered that they both like the Lion King, she actually checked in with Minh to see which specific Lion King characters my kids liked best.  "All of them," was the reply Minh gave her.

Yesterday she presented us with a stuffed Nala and a stuffed Timon (see below).  We, in turn, went home and gave them to the kids--explaining that they were a gift all the way from Florida.  Look at these, aren't they adorable?  Timon is even clutching a juicy grub in his hand.  How could any child not love these gifts?

Tai immediately wanted to know which stuffie was for which kid.  In my overly egalitarian, almost socialist, way I replied that they are (of course) both for sharing.  This, in retrospect, may have been a mistake.

As soon as one child (Quynh) took a shine to one of the stuffies (Nala) my afternoon was ruined.  Quynh's affection for Nala over Timon only served to make Nala the object of Tai's affections as well.  Timon was cast aside while my kids fought over, whined for, cried about, and grabbed at poor Nala. 

After 30 straight minutes of trying to both negotiate turns with Nala and spark some interest in Timon, I attempted to change the subject with a game of hide and seek.  Luckily, Tai seemed not to care that while both hiding and seeking Quynh kept Nala tucked under her arm, or that Nala had to sit at the dinner table next to Quynh.

While I was tucking her in last night, Quynh requested to sleep with Nala.  Since Tai was already in bed, there was no one to fight her on that point.  So I acquiesced but told her that Tai will get to sleep with Nala the next night. She replied, "Why?  He can have The Other One."  (Poor Timon, Quynh can't even be bothered to remember his name.)

Post-tuck-in, I went out to the kitchen and found poor Timon, discarded on the kitchen floor with only his grub for company.