I am a stuffed animal girl. There is no way around it.
My first stuffed animal, or one of the firsts, was Ted. He is almost as old as I am. When he was new, he had a red tongue that has since fallen off, and he was a lot less wrinkly than he is today. He came with me when I went off to college. He came with me when I went to France for a year (but not when I went to Ireland for two months because I was backpacking and I told him he would not like being squished for two months). I still sleep with him, not every night, but fairly often (I do have to sleep with my stuffed elephants as well, he understands).
Ted knows all my secrets. He has listened to me when I cried. He has been a wonderful friend. I talk to him, and I can hear what he says back to me. When we leave the house, I always tell him he is in charge.
Growing up, I always had a ton of stuffed animals. I had a giant Mickey Mouse that sat in a chair in my room, and a big old fashioned Winnie the Pooh bear. There was the elephant my cousin gave me when I had walking pneumonia. There was my blue Google and I would shake him to make him get all fluffy. I had bears, a tiger, all shapes and sizes of stuffed animals. When I would make my bed before school, I would put all of the small ones on my bed. Ted always sat up at top, in the middle of the pillows. There was a very clear hierarchy of who sat where on the bed. When I got a bigger bed, I naturally got more stuffed animals since there was more space for them.
Have you ever thought that your stuffed animals played and had adventures when you weren’t looking? I know this is true, although they are very, very good about getting back into place. I used to go out in the hall, and then sneak back towards my room and jump in to try and catch them. This went on through high school, to give you an idea. You know the book, The Velveteen Rabbit? That ALWAYS makes me cry. And I always to grab Ted and give him a hug when I read that book.
And then there were the beanie babies. I had tons. They came to France with me too, and the little girls I lived with, loved them and my mom sent some over just for them.
When I see stuffed animals today, I have to pick them up and hug them and spin around with them. I still talk to them. I can still hear what they say back to me.
Stuffed animals were never just stuffed animals to me. They were (are) friends. They were my pets. They were trouble makers (you know who you are). But mostly, they have always made me happy. And they still do 🙂
you know, I think that might be beneficial to me-to have a ‘friend’ that I could talk to and well…not answer back. I think that would help me work through a lot.
Sweets, I feel *exactly* the same way. And I often think the cats and the stuffed animals are forever in battle over who’s more important!
They cats say they win because I hold them and touch them and talk to them everyday.
The bunnies say they win cos they last longer (I’ve had the new Thumper 23 years).
And I, too, am helpless over stuffed animals.
*love you*
Oh, and Brandi, YOU SO NEED a stuffed animal friend.
Or a new pillow.