What do you call the handle on the door?

Last night I had one of my rare struggles to get little bear to sleep. He was not happy, and he was sharing. The problem was the door.

Little bear has learned how to turn the round door knob to get into the study. It takes a bit of work sometimes but he gets there in the end. The door to his room, however, is missing, which little bear should have remembered as he was complicit in its removal - he managed to unscrew the handle and I lost the screw! As the door opens and shuts fine without it, due to a quirk of the doorway, we have not bothered getting it replaced. There is suspicion that little bear thinks that if the door knob was there, and he could turn it, then he could get out of the safety gate. However, the door knob is not there.

Little bear does not think this is good enough. At least, from last night he didn't think it was good enough. I wish I could properly convey the dismayed bewilderment as he actually said, 'door' and then pointed at the place where the door should be, then pointed to his nose. Then he would shake his head and spread his baffled hands. Then point at the lack of door knob, then his nose.

Dear heart was nearly on the floor laughing as we tried to get through the bed time routine punctuated by me repeating, 'yes, sweetheart, the door knob's missing.' 'Door!' point at space containing lack of door knob, point at nose. "Yes, love, it's missing." point, point, emphatic shake of head. No matter how we phrased it or what was said, little bear was desperately upset. The door had no nose.

Well, when you first believe little bear is complaining because the door has no nose, you can't stop laughing. I did try, the poor little lad was desperately upset. However, after two and a half hours, two bottles and a lot of cuddles I was grateful that he subsided to a grumble around 10.00. However he was up again at 6.30 - yes, he was pointing at the door, then his nose! Now he has drifted off to a blessed afternoon nap - after pointing at the door, then his nose.

Dear heart has said he will fix the door knob. I truly believe that the time cannot come soon enough.