There’s a new monster in our house

A new monster, you say? I’ve often talked about Evan being an only child. We never planned it that way but that’s the hand we’re dealt. So we filled up the rare quiet space with cats and a dog and toys and movies.

Yet we still felt a void. And we made a decision to adopt. We became a nice family looking to adopt… a monster.

How do you begin to adopt a monster? We began our adoption process browsing all of the monsters on the North American Bear Co. site. We looked carefully over all of the available monsters and each one of their heartbreaking stories. But for us, the decision came easy.

We didn’t have to look far to welcome our newest family member, Solar Beam. His story read:

“Solar Beam lives in outer space. When the bad monsters attacked his planet, he went to the planet earth and a very nice family adopted him. Solar Beam’s feet are red because it is fire and that helps him fly. He is always nice to everyone.” – Justis, age 5

We thought, “We’re a nice family and he’s nice to everyone. He sounds perfect.”

He arrived at our house on Monday. The whole family was very excited to meet him and welcome him into the family.

While his wide-eyed grin told me that he was thrilled to be here, I sensed he was still longing to go back to where he came from. So we did what any family would do with a new guest. We fed him.

He didn’t seem too interested in what we were eating so we just let him sit at the table with us. I didn’t have the heart to tell him he was sitting in dad’s chair.

After mealtime, he was ready to explore a house full of toys. His favorite seemed to be this police car. I don’t know if it was because it reminded him of the Jetsons’ car or if it was the shiny lights. I do know he was a bit disappointed that his feet couldn’t reach the floor.

He and Evan hit it off right away. Especially when Evan found that he could repeatedly beat him at Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em.

Between you and me, I think Solar Beam let him win.

The only member of the family that wasn’t so keen on the addition was my dog Emma. But I think she’ll adjust.

At the end of the day, Solar Beam was thrilled to have found us and I have to say the feeling is mutual. We anticipate many happy years ahead with the monster in our house.

***

Are you experiencing the same kind of void? Have you been looking for just the right monster to fill your days with sunshine? I can help.

Solar Beam is part of the My Own Monsters collection from the North American Bear Co. I love each and every one of them on the site. But I consulted with my product expert, Evan, and we poured through all of the choices. I let him make the final decision on which monster he wanted to bring into our lives. He was thrilled to pick out his very own and let me tell you, it was no easy process.

What spoke to me is that these monsters are designed by children. More specifically, they are all designed by the children of the staff of the North American Bear Co. And they also wrote a little story for each monster.

How about a toy that thrills your child? Your child who has just had the Christmas of all Christmases. Your child who has so many stuffed animals and toys that you can’t imagine one more will excite him. You be the judge.

I’m not sure what the biggest appeal is to my son. Maybe it’s the fact that another child designed it. Or that it has a story. But right away, he started elaborating on the story and even declared that Solar Beam’s squiggly tail was shaped like an ‘S’ because it stood for his name.

The appeal for me is a well made, super soft, creatively designed toy (that makes a nice little pillow too!). That’s why I’m giving one away.