Fleur does her part to keep me brain healthy. Whoever is the current favorite doll, not having that toy is a meltdown event.
She can go to school without the doll because she understands they are not allowed at school. However, she expects to have the doll at pickup.
We finally are at the sweet spot where she sometimes leaves the doll at home with the understanding I bring it with me to pickup.
That puts the onus on me to have it. And remember to get it. And remember to find it, and put it in my car ahead of time so that I will have it at pickup.
Thing is, it will be in random places.
- Fleur’s bed.
- The doll crib.
- My bed.
- The bathroom counter.
- The kitchen table chair.
At first, when I discover it in some unexpected place, I rant about why she cannot just keep it in the same place and save everyone the trouble. But, then my psychology background kicks in and I remember this could be good for my brain health. This is “Where’s Waldo” for adults. Non-repetitive thinking challenges are what helps the brain. Every time I go looking in the places where I remember Fleur was last, then I end up accessing the hippocampus to pull up a mental map of the house and consider whether or not she was there to assess whether or not to look there. If I still have not found it, then I start thinking about hide-n-seek places. All of this is challenge territory.
I probably should look into other things, but I need more spoons.
When Fleur gets upset about the missing doll, I advise trying to make sure she keeps it in the same place. However, I have no expectations of this happening any time soon.