CHOCOLATE BEAR

Last week, it was Francie's turn to bring Chocolate Bear home from preschool.

The class has two bears: Chocolate Bear and Cinnamon Bear. They weren't always known by these names, though. Chocolate Bear could also be referred to as "The Bear Formerly Known as Big Brown Bear."

See, when our ten-year-old, Amelia, was in the same preschool class, the kids brought home the same bears, with different names. I don't know when the bears' names changed from Big Brown Bear and Little Brown Bear to Chocolate Bear and Cinnamon Bear. They seem to be the same bears that came home five years ago, considering how worn they look.

Each kid gets to bring home each bear for one weekend (Thursday afternoon to Monday morning) during the school year. Each bear comes home with his own bag with some outfits in it, too.

Bringing home the bear is usually highly fascinating for the first day. The kid changes the bear's clothes umpteen times and takes the bear everywhere. By Monday, when the bear goes back to school, the fascination has waned, which is good because the bear has to go on to another child the next week anyway.

Both Amelia and kindergartener Lillie brought home this same bear during their years in this preschool class, and they are not thrilled that now it's Francie's turn. Lillie wanted to take the bear to her school for Share Time on Friday. Francie said no. Lillie had to be hauled bearless out to the car to leave for school, kicking and screaming all the way.

Amelia frequently reminds Francie that the bear's REAL name is Big Brown Bear.

As we were packing up to take Chocolate Bear back to school on Monday morning, Francie said, "Mom, um, when you was four, and you took the bear home from school, um, what was his name?"

I find it charming that she assumes that I, too, went to the same preschool class and brought home the same bear.