Honkatolo

Cash & Dad's Third Year

Three years old! Holy Cow, we're in real trouble. For your birthday you've given yourself the gift of friendship, an imaginary friend named Honkatolo. He showed up quite suddenly. We’re a little sketchy on his history though sometimes you say he is your friend Dagny’s Grandpa.

Honkatolo typically arrives when you are looking to crack into a conversation. You see, it’s tough for a little guy to get a word in edgewise when a big brother hogs all the airtime. Many a brotherly scuffle arises over perceived control of the mic. Here’s a typical situation where Honkatolo makes an appearance:

Luke:  “... and then I kicked the ball into the goal, mommy!”
Cash:  “I want to play soccer and …”

Dad:   “Luke sure did. I was amazed how quickly he exploded towards the goal.”

Cash:  “Hey, can  …”

Luke:  “And I got an ice cream afterwards! I got the one with bubble gum at the bottom!”

Mom:  “A nicely ruined lunch, dad.”

Cash:  “I want an ice …”

Luke:  “My hands are still sticky! Can I have a wipe?”

Cash:  “Honkatolo always scores lots goals and get’s lots of ice cream!”
Dad:   “Who?”

So, you’ve discovered that an imaginary friend is a useful tool to garner attention, particularly one with otherworldly mental and physical gifts. Honkatolo is a superhuman. Imaginary or not, his accomplishments leave me a tad jealous:

• Honkatolo mostly lives “on the same planet you fly to for work.” 
• But sometimes “lives across the street from Dagny.” 
• “Honkatolo is better than you at hiding in snow.” 
• He is a “wonderful scuba diver.” 
• Honkatolo “never gets a stuffy nose. Ever.” 
• “He takes so much pictures that he never goes to sleep.” 
• “Honkatolo is a little bit tall.” 
• “Honkatolo broke your sunglasses.” 
• Honkatolo has “this much dollars [holding nine fingers] on his planet.” 
• He “races all of his robots and always wins.”

Signs of a your creativity go beyond the Honkatolo edifice. A trip to Sullivans, our local toy store, will see you sprinting past all the toys to the tools of your imagination: paints, markers and pencils. I call this behavior the "Paints not Toys campaign." This passion for drawing and painting takes after your Grangie, Vanessa and Samantha! Sometimes your imagination is downright mysterious. On a clear night you looked up and saw a full moon and beautiful clear stars and you said, "It's like my sound, Labla-Labla-Labla!" Huh?

Love,

Dad