I Blame Courtney Cox

I'm glad my daughter's preschool teachers seem to like me, despite the fact that Munchkin Girl seems determined to humiliate me.  First, you might remember that she went to school the day after Halloween limping with a supposed "sore foot".  It was cured miraculously the second she saw her friends, but right before I took her inside to school I asked her how it happened and she told that Mommy ran over her foot with the car.  I can assure you I did no such thing, but I almost didn't send her to school for fear that she would go to school telling everyone and her teachers would believe her.

That was earlier this year.  Then there was yesterday.  This story actually starts a long time ago, when she was only 2 years old.  At the time, she had tons of dolls and wanted to take them everywhere and was very pushy about it, but we never knew what doll she wanted so one winter morning when Daddy was working, I named all the dolls for Munchkin Girl.  She would hold it up and I would say, "That's Lulabelle!"  or "That's Daisy" or "That one is named Lucy!".  Munchkin has all the dolls from when I was a kid so I started running out of names and I was getting a little panicky.  It was like my brain froze up and I couldn't think of another name and she was excited and demanding more names.  I was flipping through my latest copy of People magazine and when she demanded the next name, I happened to be reading about Courtney Cox Arquette and how they were going through a divorce.  It mentioned that her daughter's name was Cocoa.  I thought, That's a cool name...."That doll is Cocoa!" I say.  I look up from my magazine, and she is holding a black doll.  Oh crap.  A black doll named Cocoa.  Could I BE any more insensitive or politically incorrect??  That's what I get for reading a magazine instead of focusing on my daughter.

Fast forward a year and half.  Every week Munchkin Girl becomes fixated on a new doll.  Two weeks ago it was Sarah.  Last week it was Lulabelle.  This week it's a doll that looks a lot like Cocoa.  Only we can't find Cocoa, she somehow got lost over the years.  I don't like this particular doll.  I keep trying to hide her and pretend that we can't find her.  I've considered taking scissors to her, but don't quite have the guts yet.  Why do I hate this doll so much?  Because Munchkin calls this doll, "White Cocoa."

I know.  I'm so mortified.  It does look like exactly like the original Cocoa, only with a different skin color.  I've tried to change the name to Lucy, Lily, Angela, anything but White Cocoa.  Unfortunately Munchkin is being very stubborn about this and not only does she refuse to change the name, but she carries her around in a basket and takes her everywhere we go.  To the store.  To Grandma's house.  And now to school. 



Yesterday she insisted on taking her to Show and Tell.  The only hope I have is that the teachers won't understand because they didn't know the original Cocoa.  I am hoping this particular obsession will die down soon and then I can hide White Cocoa forever.  In the trash.

PS *** A disclaimer***  I really hope no one is offended by this.  She doesn't know any better and I promise I won't read a magazine next time when we're naming dolls.  I blame all this on Courtney Cox Arquette.  What kind of name is Cocoa anyway??