Monkey Madness

My home has recently become Monkey Central. It began a number of years ago with the acquisition of a single long armed stuffed creature named Rabies and has grown exponentially since then.

Rabies was the official "protector" and office distraction my wife carried with her almost daily. The troop has grown with each new individual being christened with a proper disease or otherwise slightly twisted name. Syphilis, Asthma, Cleft, Smock, Loops and Max to name a few. This is just how we are working to keep it light as a family.

This monkey fetish has become a wonderful source of fun and we are extending those distractions into other areas of our lives. Last night we had Monkey Night Out. We had dinner at a neighborhood pizza restaurant and each of us took the monkey of our choice. Okay, so it was just a tad bit too out there for our teenage son, but at least he did agree to having an imaginary monkey with him.

One of the newest members of our troop is a fun little monkey puppet named Smock. He is quite interactive and expressive. Smock drove us to our destination and entertained a sweet yet shy toddler at the table next to us - much to the dismay of her mother who really didn't appear to appreciate the fun and kindness we were extending as a family. To each his own. It is where your heart is that is important.

We had brief puppet shows. Magnetic monkey feet stealing silverware. Pictures, texting and lots of smiles and giggling. It was light and full of love. We had many stare or glances from the tables around us. Mainly from the solemn ones where conversation was sparse and expressions were stern.

But this night really wasn't really about monkeys. It was about family time and developing the strongest cheek muscles we possibly can.