A few weeks back, I sent some packages to my sister’s house. In them were books for Cheri as well as random items meant for my nieces. A few of these items were leftover trinkets or purchases from my trip to Mexico. A very special baby doll was among them. This was a baby doll I had purchased at a dime store in Puebla for use in a skit in which I played a mother-with-baby (mama-con-bebe). This baby doll smelled like moth-balls. He was also a boy. He was anatomically correct.

So, naturally, I sent it to my four-year-old niece. She named it Madison. Madison wasn’t supposed to leave the house, and Madison’s diaper was supposed to stay on when friends came over (am I getting these rules right, Cheri?).

Sadly, Madison met the fate of so many of my niece’s babies who are NOT complete inside the diaper. A bath or somesuch soaked him hopelessly; he was hung outside to dry (and, I’m sure, to confound the neighbors); and he ultimately disappeared. But I think he leaves behind a valuable lesson for all of us. He must, he was a toy, after all, and if Barney teaches us anything, it’s that all play has a moral, so I’m sure there’s a moral to Madison. Something about what’s inside being what counts, I’m sure.