Everyone Loves A Slinky...Until It Crashes

Poor, humble slinky had had a rough day.

Constant attention bestowed upon a you by a toddler will have that effect, in much the same way that an overindulgence in frozen margaritas will muddle your own reaction times. Instead of being tossed into the kitchen toy basket (the savior of many meal-prep meltdowns), slinky lost control of it's momentum and had a head-on collision with a chair.

No amount of twisting or yanking would change it's state of deadly entanglement - in fact, it was only making the situation worse. I was afraid for it's survival.

Knowing they'd eventually wonder what had happened to the slinky, I prepared to have the talk with my daughters. The death of a beloved toy is difficult, and not to be taken lightly. Not when dramatic little girls are involved. But while I pondered how to break it to them, something altogether unexpected began to happen.

My baby girl started to free the slinky. She used a technique that I hadn't considered...

The Jaws of Life.

Lauren bit down on the closest available stretch of slinky, and pulled with all her might. She worked quickly, knowing that every moment was precious - this was a Dora slinky - and extraordinary measures were called for.

Pulling out all the stops to unwind the slinky from it's trap, she never gave up. Never questioned if the mangled toy was worth the effort.

Until she noticed a stray animal cracker that had lost it's head across the room. The slinky was given up for lost; the cracker was determined to be a more salvageable case. Ever the dedicated civil servant, Lauren abandoned the slinky to search out the severed cracker head. And slinky, so patient and kind, retracted back into it's tangle of twisted limbs.

Oh, the agony.

Update: The slinky is safe. Seeing it's distress troubled me greatly, and I vowed to untangle it, even if it meant my sanity would be lost forever. Many moments of cursing were employed in working at the mess, but slowly, ring by inverted ring, coil by twisted coil, the slinky was freed from the wreckage. You can sleep soundly tonight knowing the slinky is only slightly limping from it's near-fatal collision. But you can bet it'll think twice before approaching a staircase any time soon.