My son is known for his collection of one million spatulas.

One day, a few months into my son’s life when mobility was becoming a more serious part of the conversation, I handed him a spatula while we were in the kitchen. My goal was to keep him entertained while I finished cooking something.

Little did I know I was handing him what would soon become one of his identifiers. 

The initial spatula had butterflies on it. We actually have two with slightly different butterfly patterns but the same size, and they quickly became his go-to “toy”. He’d crawl with one in each hand, and we’d hear the alternating thump thump thump as he made his way around the house. He was even photographed with the butterfly spatulas on his first birthday! As he’s progressed to walking, he still carries two spatulas around everywhere he goes. 

The difference now is the collection has grown.

One of the shelves in our living room plays host to the spatula collection, which continues to increase. He’s received six spatulas as gifts and has four of ours mixed in to provide a magnificent variety. He’ll even pick the matching ones when he’s deciding his choices for the day.

The desire to hold things extends into every area of his life as he toddles around. While we’re outside, it’s usually sticks of various sizes, but inside, it’s the spatulas. When we drive somewhere in the car we’ll let him pick out a car spatula. Same for stroller walks.

It’s honestly been one of my favorite things about him because he’s so known! 

Spatulas are his identifier.

(OK, cute blondness is too, but you get my point.)

The fact that many spatulas have been gifted to him warms my heart so much. I love that my son is known. I love how other people also love him enough to get him something he loves...even if it is a bit of an odd toy.

Many have said he’ll be a chef or a drummer. Perhaps they’re right, but I’m not reading into it that too much right now. I just love how each spatula added to the shelf is another reminder that my son is dearly loved by so many humans beyond mom and dad. 

What a gift. So maybe he doesn’t have a million spatulas, but to his toddler self, it probably feels that way. For that I am grateful.

And to those who have contributed to the growing spatula collection - thank you!!! 

But back to the beginning, can you imagine what it might look like to have one million spatulas in one place? We could start a nonprofit to fight world hunger somehow. I’m only partially kidding here...