Djungelskog teaches my kids to fix broken things
“You’re invited. Be sure to come at 4:35 p.m.!” my 7-year-old told his three siblings. He pressed handwritten invitations for our “GALLERY OPENING” made from scrap paper into their hands. It was a few minutes before the event time listed for our formally informal affair. My son was enthusiastic about the photos we had just hung together in the hallway of my kids’ favorite stuffed animals: the bears.
My kids have imagined a whole universe around their plush toy bears; many of these personalities carry names derived from IKEA’s endearing Djungelskog toy. Minutes later, my son would sit on my shoulders and pull back a taped-up pillowcase to unveil the stars of our new hallway gallery.
Right as my son hollered for everyone to come upstairs for the ceremony, my youngest yelled from below, “DAD, I NEED YOU!”
The wafting scent of attention… and meltdowns
Like bears and their developed sense of smell, my kids have a knack for tracking down perceived inequities. Young children are notoriously poor judges of equality.
The little one had heard his brother and me working upstairs. He was jealous I wasn’t playing with him, and concluded that he should break his Duplo construction on the kitchen table. Tears started flowing as he tried to force the pieces back together. “Dad, it’s not working! It’s just broken! See?”
There’s a short window where my kid can regulate his emotions on his own. After too long, the jealousy, frustration, anger, and tears become overwhelming and we reach meltdown. He was heading straight to it.
Standing next to him or gently rubbing his back wasn’t enough for this runaway train. It was time to set the Legos aside and work together toward regulation as the emotional flash flood ran its course.
I picked my son up and hugged and rocked him in my arms. His whimpers started settling after he bit into a piece of orange sour candy.1 As he calmed down, I pointed at a picture of a bear that hangs downstairs above our kitchen table and told him its story.
Ripping cozy bear a new one
When my oldest son was the same age as his youngest brother, he drew a bear with a beanie and scarf for a school art project. I loved the drawing when he brought it home. It might be kid art—but it looks so expressive and always draws me in. My son was proud of his bear drawing too. He taped it to the wall next to his bed.
One night, my oldest was upset with his sister. He ran up to his bedroom. As part of his rage, he ripped his bear drawing, crumpled it up, and threw it on the ground.
At bedtime, I picked the drawing up from the floor and asked my oldest to hang it back up in its spot. With some lingering upset emotions, he refused. “No, it’s broken. It’s ruined. Throw it away.” We left the conversation at that, and I tucked him in and kissed him goodnight. But, I didn’t want to get rid of that bear.
Once all the kids were asleep, I looked again at his drawing. The tear and wrinkles were on blank parts of the page. I grabbed scissors and cut away the damaged portions. I mounted it on some textured drawing paper, and scrounged up a frame.
Cozy bear gets a new home after being ripped apart
The next morning, cozy bear was on the kitchen table. As my oldest son bit into his breakfast, I taught him the lesson “things that are broken can be fixed. Cozy bear looks great.” He didn’t know what to say, but he gave me a hug and kept getting ready for school.
My youngest nuzzled my neck as I finished telling him the story about his oldest brother and cozy bear. We reassembled a few of the big pieces of Legos on the kitchen table and went upstairs. We were impatiently awaited for the grand reveal.
The great reveal
At 4:39—four minutes late—the festivities resumed. My 7-year-old proudly pulled the pillowcase back to reveal our new wall décor. The other kids politely applauded. The plush toys gazed on from behind as my kids’ little fingers started waving around, pointing at the photos and calling out their favorite memories. Before long, they started holding their toys up to the pictures and telling the toys their stories.
The bears look over their new gallery
Our gallery: The Museum of Skog 🐻
Our little gallery isn’t much materially—it’s a few simple frames, cheap photo prints, and an iPhone used as a leveler.2 We love our bears and our memories with them.
Top row
← Kids riding on a wooden bear in San Francisco
↑ A small tin box with a bear saying « Je t’aime » (“I love you” in French)
→ Kids hugging bear statue at Vancouver International Airport (YVR)
Center row
← Weighted plush bear “helping” cut a raspberry tarte
→ Weighted plush bear and IKEA Djungelskog bear hugging
Bottom row
↑ The “Pika parade!” that loves to cheer on their friends, the bears