Mom didn’t believe in spanking or hitting kids.
It was one of many things where she and grandma Garvan disagreed.
Personally, Tammy Lou sided with grandma.
She hardly ever did anything to even get yelled at for,
let alone warrant any serious punishment.
Teddie on the other hand was just plain bad at times.
Being a very mature nine and a half-year old,
Tammy Lou felt that Teddie could use a good dose of old fashioned discipline.
Her maturnial instinct told her.
That was what her mom would call it,
and Tammy was certain that she would make a terrific mommy one day herself.
The thing that made Tammy Lou’s doll so special was that it was the same doll that Grandma Garvan had when she was a little girl.
Even better, grandma had made hundreds of little outfits for Sally as she grew up and after she gave Sally to her only granddaughter,
she continued to make new clothes that were more current and fashionable.
Sally even had ballerina and exercise clothes.
In fact, Tammy insisted that her mom get her an outfit to match every new thing that Sally got.
That way they could play dress up together and have even more fun.
In no time, Tammy Lou was busy dressing up Sally and changing her clothes to match.
That afternoon, they decided to be nurses and Tammy spent the rest of the day taking care of all her “sick” doll and stuffed animal patients.
The fight with Teddie was forgotten.Teddie waited just behind his cracked bedroom door and watched as Tammy Lou finished brushing her teeth for bed.
She still clutched her stupid doll in one of her hands while she busily foamed up her mouth with the toothbrush in her other hand.
The dumb ole doll was dressed in an identical dancing Christmas bear nightgown with matching lace around the neck, cuffs and knee length hem.
Tammy Lou always insisted that grandma make her exact real size duplicates of the clothes that she was always sewing for Tammy’s doll.
Everything had to be exact down to the last detail and if grandma couldn’t make the larger size clothing,
which was extremely rare,
then Tammy would insist that their mom go out and find the same clothes in a store in the city.
Teddie ground his teeth as his anger returned to full force.
Tammy Lou was such a spoiled little brat.
She always got exactly what she wanted.
Everyone was always doting on her hand and foot.
It was always, oh look at how pretty Tammy Lou looks in her little pretty girls’ clothes,
or oh look at how cute Tammy Lou looks with her little matching doll.
It was so double damn irritating!
But that wasn’t what bothered Teddie the most.
The worst part was that old witchy Grandma Garvan would also make Teddie clothes too.
And she usually used the same material that Tammy Lou’s clothes were made of.
Teddie plucked absentmindedly at his own nightshirt.
It was identical to Tammy Lou’s only without the lace.
It was so humiliating!
An almost grown boy having to wear a girly nightshirt like his little sister.
Unfortunately, his mother was also a very practical woman and she felt that if grandma was kind enough to send something,
that Teddie should be respectful enough to wear it.
Besides, she would say,
all the boys wore nightshirts when Grandma Garvan was a girl and that is what she is used too.
You just have to humor grandma.
Well, Teddie didn’t think anything about grandma was humorous.
He dreaded any time a package arrived from grandma or whenever they had to visit her.
He made triple sure that he complained enough that his mom rarely felt like putting up with the hassle.
So, to Teddie’s good fortune,
they usually only had to suffer through a visit to grandma’s only a few times a year.
Then again, it wasn’t just the clothes that grandma sent and he was forced to wear.
With that thought,
