When I was a kid, my family played Monopoly a lot. Every time we played, there was no question that my brother was going to be the car.
I was envious each time we played. I wanted to be the car! But instead I got stuck with the hat.
Or even worse, the busted looking shoe:
Whoever got the shoe felt like a loser, let’s face it.
Each time we played I’d look at that car with green envy. My face was probably turning green from the jealousy as I moved the board as a hat or a shoe that I didn’t care about.
I know what it’s like to want something so badly and not be able to get it.
Ari knows that feeling too.
As a rule, whenever we buy toothbrushes, my toothbrush is the green one. Green is my favorite color.
Each time we were in Trader Joe’s replacing old toothbrushes, Ari would beg me:
“Can I be green this time.”
“I’m green. It’s my favorite color.” I would say.
Yesterday, something in me changed. There we were standing in the grocery store. I was eyeing the different color Preserve toothbrushes searching for three disparate colors. I grabbed a green, blue and pink toothbrush.
“Can I be green this time?” Ari asked looking at me with puppy dog eyes.
Instead of immediately saying “no, green is my favorite color,” I stopped.
I thought about myself as a child. I thought about the monopoly car. I wanted that car so badly, and I never got to “be” it. I didn’t want my son to feel that feeling.
“You can be green this time.” I said.
I gave up my favorite color.
I gave it up so that my son could be happy.
Giving Ari that green toothbrush made his day and mine too.
