Buttons the Bear:  2001-2006

This has been a very traumatic couple of weeks for our family, especially my 6yo son.  He lost his best friend and lifelong companion at the Houston Airport...his beloved teddy bear, Buttons.

As you can see, he was very well loved!  My son has had Buttons for 5 years.  He has grown up with him.  He slept with him every night and called him his "special sleeping animal" among his other sleeping animals.  He took him everywhere, carrying him by one arm.  His arm tore one day (just like Woody in Toy Story) and we had to fix him right away because he couldn't stand to not have him for even one night.

I know as Moms you must understand the attachment factor here.  Nothing else even came close for him.  Even at the age of 6, when most boys have given up their attachments, my son still held his Buttons as his dearest friend.

And I have an emotional attachment to this bear, too!  This was the one thing that I was going to keep forever as his most treasured childhood keepsake.  Can you believe I'm crying as I write this?  My heart is breaking for my child, because that's what Mom's do when their child's heart is broken.

Now, believe me, I know that there are far worse troubles in this world, and I am so thankful that this is the hardest thing we have had to endure to this point with our child.  He has always been healthy, happy, intelligent, lively, and fun!  We have never had a major trauma in our household.  We feel so blessed to be able to say that!

With that said, Buttons may be "just a teddy bear", but my child's heartache is real.  He has cried himself to sleep almost every night (which means I have also cried with him!).  He wakes up in the morning and spends his first minutes staring at his bedside photo of him and Buttons...and cries some more. 

Here's the worst part.  The conversation we had the night before we left for Florida while we were packing:

Me:  Don't forget Buttons. 

DS:  I don't want to take him because he might get lost.

Me:  Won't you miss him for the next 2 weeks?  He won't get lost, we'll make sure we keep a good eye on him.

I just can't even tell you how guilty I feel for that fateful conversation.  We arrived at the airport in Houston with a small layover, so I treated him to a magazine and a candy bar.  He was so into his candy bar, that he left Buttons sitting on the chair when they called us to board the plane.  I keep going over it my mind, over and over, and I can't believe we just left him sitting there!

I called the airport's Lost and Found and they did not have him.  I have searched eBay for a duplicate and I think he was a one of a kind because nothing even comes close!

My plea:

Has anyone ever seen a bear like this?  Does anyone know the manufacturer?  I purchased it at a dinner theater gift shop in Fort Myers, Florida.  If anyone has any info on this bear, PLEASE let me know!  I am desperate to find a replacement.

I've learned a really good lesson from this:  Never let your child get too attached to a hard-to-find item!  My daughter's attachment will be something that is mass-produced and easy to find, just in case this situation arises again!

Have any of you dealt with something like this with your children?  How did you handle it and help them move on?