When you take a child to Monkey Joe's they put a matching bracelet, very much like a hospital bracelet, on you and the child.
On the way out the door, they check the bracelets to make sure you're leaving with the same kid you came in with, and then cut it off for you. Seems like a simple enough procedure...then Catherine is introduced. Words cannot describe the fit she threw when the young girl at the door offered to remove her bracelet. After assuring her she could keep it, she finally calmed. Later that evening, an identical fit was thrown when Daddy suggested taking it off before getting in the bath tub. We went to Monkey Joe's last Friday. Every day since Friday night we have heard about nothing but the Monkey Joe's bracelet, and sentences such as, "No take it off, Mommy," "My Monkey Joe's Bracelet," "Tie it back on," ect. ect.
One evening before bath, Bill tried a different approach. He got her other bracelets and suggested a trade. All of her other bracelets, for just the one, now very dirty and tattered paper Monkey Joe's bracelet. She refused. A fit was thrown. Out of desperation, Daddy tried some reverse psychology, and said, "Fine, I'll just put all these other bracelets in the trash then, since you won't be needing them anymore." Catherine responded with, "No, I put them in the trash!" Then she proceeded to throw away all of her other bracelets!! After she went to bed, Daddy removed the bracelets from the trash, just in case something remotely close to sanity returned to our daughter, and of course, because he is not at all a mean Daddy who ever intendend to throw out all her bracelets.
A few more days past, and the bracelet remained, even more disgusting. Finally last night, I come home from tutoring, to a very happy, clean, Monkey Joe's bracelet-free Catherine! She was, however, wearing every other bracelet that she owned. Once she was asleep, Bill explained to me that he showed her the other bracelets that he had taken out of the trash and tried offering a trade again. He said she started a fit, and not wanting to make the same mistake twice, he quickly thought to himself, "what would make sense in Catherine's head?" Finally he proceeded with something along the lines of, "Okay, calm down. I'm not going to take your bracelet off. As a matter of fact, I don't even think I could. By now it is probably stuck." Well, that was a horse of a different color! A new fit started, but along the lines of, "No, no, no. I don't want it stuck. Take it off, Daddy! Cut it off, Daddy!" Much to his pleasure, the only way to calm her was to cut the forsaken thing off!! After her bath, she happilly put on all her other bracelets, and the Monkey Joe's bracelet was never seen again.
