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My oldest daughter was an only child for almost 5 years. After we moved to the big city, away from her Granny and Uncles and everything she knew, she only had a one other child her age to play with. He wasn't a very nice young lad, he liked to bite, so she really didn't have anyone. So she created her own playmates. There were so many before our second daughter was born that I sometimes forgot their names. The two main playmates and the most long lasting ones were Chilly and Holly. They went everywhere with us. At the time I didn't think anything about it but I have often wondered what neighbors thought about us when loading the car for a trip to Granny's or to the grocery store. We'd put our daughter into the car then with cupped hands, we'd reach down to the ground and lift Chilly, then Holly up into the car. When we got to the grocery store, we'd have to lift them out of the car and into the shopping cart. If we asked our daughter if she wanted an item, we also have to ask Chilly and Holly, or their feelings would be hurt.
One of the most tramatic things in her early life was the time we forgot Chilly and Holly at the grocery store. We were tired and in a hurry and just forgot to get them out of the cart. After unloading the groceries, and unable to locate either Chilly or Holly in the house or the car, we had to rush back to the grocery store and find the cart, retrieve the playmates and return home.
It must have been something to see Daddy looking through the carts in the parking lot, picking up nothing with cupped hands and loading them into the car. But nothing was too much for Daddy to do for his princess. And he knew there would be no sleep until Chilly and Holly were safely at home.
Nothing has changed a whole lot since she was the only child. She is still a princess. If she calls at midnight and wants Daddy to bring her a prize, he usually, ok always, does it.