Where Did All The Silly Bandz Go?

In the past year my kids joined the silly bandz craze which was fed by their Mimi who would buy them every shape known to mankind. At first I was disturbed by how much they wanted me to buy them, but mostly by how they hoarded over them, stacking and counting them like Ebeneezer over gold coins. They traded with business savvy that could only be comparable to the likes of Mr. Trump. Sometimes I would see their little arms lined with them to the point that they couldn't bend at the elbow and their fingers took on a nice blue hue. They are made of stretchy rubber, right?

My children each had a stash, even the three year old, that they kept in special containers and just the thoughtof a fellow sibling even considered touching another siblings stash would bring a fight on that made Holyfield and Tyson look like amateurs. Then another strange twist of events began to immerge. I began finding a few stray bandz on the counter or table. I was completely amazed by my children's abilities to inform me the shape and owner of this small thing when I would hold it up in the air and ask whose this belong to. If only they could answer that fast when we do flashcards. At least my fears that they could actually learn were put to rest!

The following weeks soon revealed that their obsession was wearing off because I began sweeping the little colorful bandz up from every crevice of our home and when I asked who the owner was, they didn't know. Were these things multiplying on their own? Maybe not, because now when I sweep, I'm only left wondering if they actually got any food into their mouths. I see no silly bandz anywhere. It kinda makes me sad. Is it one more step to them growing up? I'm glad I kept a few bandz to reflect on later and show to my grandchildren one day. They will probably laugh and show me the little colorful light orbs that will encircle their wrists without touching their delicate skin. I will be sad again because you can't sweep up light orbs.

I think on Christmas Eve night, when I finally get them all nestled in their beds and I watch their sweet sleeping faces as they dream of sugarplums and toys, I will wonder what is a sugarplum as I will lay a pack of silly bandz next to them on their pillows, kiss them and go to sleep for the ten minutes before they come and wake us up, with silly bandz stuck to their faces, and hope the craze will last a little longer.