Somebody’s Gonna Have To Explain It To Me

I know everyone has a story like this, but my little sister had a beloved stuffed dinosaur (Doobie) that was lost on a family vacation in eastern Washington. My parents called the hotel, called every restaurant, and couldn't track Doobie down. I remember my mom actually crying…

— Jill Filipovic (@JillFilipovic) August 7, 2026

I know everyone has a story like this, but my little sister had a beloved stuffed dinosaur (Doobie) that was lost on a family vacation in eastern Washington. My parents called the hotel, called every restaurant, and couldn't track Doobie down. I remember my mom actually crying she felt so badly for my sister. It was such a disaster that the whole neighborhood knew about it, and everyone was bereft at the loss of Doobie.

A few months later, we pulled into our driveway... and there was Doobie, sitting on the fence.

My parents told my sister he had walked all the way back to Seattle from Lake Chelan. I learned 20 years later that our neighbors saw a new Doobie at Costco, bought him, and made him look a little beat up to give the story credibility. But this is how normal people behave: When a child's most beloved stuffed animal is left, you move heaven and earth to get it back.

Any parent of a small child can tell a similar story to this. I know I’m only reading headlines, but according to them, this reprehensible representative has kept the favorite doll of his daughter away from her on multiple occasions. Once is happenstance, twice is coincidence, three times is enemy action.

Why this man is not restricted to severely limited, supervised visitations, is beyond me. 34 years ago when I was practicing family law, I could have gotten those limitations on a father like this just on the headline record I’ve read.

I am baffled by the lack of concern for the best interests of this poor child.