A Night Out with Hector

Kenny has had an imaginary friend for some time named Hector.   Hector is a little monkey (not dissimilar to Curious George) who is always around and looking for a good time.   We tell Hector stories at bedtime, we pretend Hector is going to the potty with us, taking baths with us, and baking cakes with us.   So for Halloween, we got Kenny a monkey costume,  and of course we had no problems getting him into  his  “Hector clothes”  for our Church’s annual “Trunk or Treat” bash.

I’m not sure if it was totally clear that he was a monkey (I heard some folks say, “Look at that little mouse!”) but Kenny had a blast looking at all of the “funny guys” as he called them, and trying to recognize his friends in their get-ups.   We took Dudley, too, and he was a champ, letting scores of kids pet him and crowd around him.   We couldn’t get a costume for him in time, but he was a hit all the same.  

Kenny  had a little confusion over the candy thing, too… as people handed him candy, he assumed that it was time to dig in right then, so we curtailed the treating at about four trunks.   Two lollipops and a box of junior mints later, he was getting the jitters, so we packed into the car and headed home in the dark, stopping on the way for some Chinese food…

At bedtime, when he asked for a Hector Story, we re-lived the “party” for him, talking about all the friends and funny guys we saw, and all the candy we ate, and how much fun we had.   After kisses, I was walking out when Kenny suddenly piped up, “Mommy…. where’s God?”   Several of his story books have characters talking to God, or stories about God, and he’s asked where He is several times, so I sat back down and  tried  to explain it a  little more clearly;  that God is everywhere… “He’s at our house, at Grammie’s house, at Aunt Kim’s house, at church… anywhere we are, God is there with us.   And we can talk to Him anytime.   All we have to do is say, ‘Dear God…’ and tell Him whatever we want to say.”   He was quiet, and I said, “Do you want to talk to God right now?” and he said, “Dear God!… You say it, Mommy.”   So I said, “Dear God: Thank you for our wonderful day.   Thank you for our party tonight and all of our friends and the funny guys we saw…”   and he jumped in, “And tank you for Mister Hank and for potty treats.   Amen.”

“Mister Hank” is a friend of ours from church and our small group whom Kenny just loves, and the trunk next to his at the Trunk or Treat  was handing out M&Ms… (which we call “potty treats” in our house, because that’s the only time he gets to eat them).   Amen, little guy.