the famous pillow pets

Advertising. It's everywhere. And even children are quite susceptible to it. Case in point: we extended our cable last spring, and the boys fell in love with a certain children's television station. Before this, they'd mostly watched PBS when it came to TV. But this station had cute programs and so, with limits in place, we allow them to watch it.

Enter commercials.

Is it any wonder that they're called commercials? They are geared toward making a profit, and those advertising people are good at what they do.

And the plain truth is, my boys fell in love with Pillow Pets.


"Mom! It can be a pillow, or a pet!"

"When we go visit Grandma and Grandpa's house, we wouldn't have to take a pillow and a lovey. Just one, and it's a pillow too!"

"Mom, 'Just one touch is all it takes, and your child or grandchild will fall in love with his Pillow Pet!'"

"And, they're machine washable!"

You get the idea.

After months of changing the subject, it seems they weren't going to forget about this. So when Jeff spotted a display of the famous Pillow Pets in a local store, the wheels were set in motion.

I should say here that Ben and Kyle receive "compensation" (along the lines of allowance, but as per Dave Ramsey's suggestions). They both had some money saved, and when Jeff asked them if they wanted to spend part of their savings on Pillow Pets, they were so excited.

And they decided to each chip in $10, to buy one for their little brother too.


It's been fun to watch them. Ben was incredibly sweet, and even lent me his Bumblebee to sleep with on the night of my birthday.

It was pretty soft.

A week after their initial purchase, Benjamin and Kyle put their heads -and money- together again. This time, too, they bought with someone else in mind.


Yes, Elise now has her very own Pillow Pet. A pink-and-purple Unicorn. Because, you know...she's a girl.


She's not quite sure what to think of it yet, but her brothers are as pleased as punch. And when she gets older, I'll tell her the story of how they wanted to include her in their snugly, playful fun.

And in the meantime, my boys are learning that maybe, just maybe, it really is more fun to give than to receive.