Teddies.....

I know that when I was growing up, I had my "comfort woobie". It wasn't a bear or a blanket, but my stinky pillow. I loved that thing. It went everywhere with me. It made the dark nights less dark. It made the scary places less scary. Even though it was all imagined, it helped allay some of my fears.

My children each have their own little comforts too. Stuffies, as we like to call them. Even at 15 years old, my eldest still has his Bumbah. A ratty stuffed rabbit, with long floppy ears, wearing the blue sweater I knitted "just for Bumbah". It used to be white when it was new, but it has now taken on a rather grayish hue. And it is the fifth of sixth incarnation as I DID have to replace Bumbah a couple of times. (Same stuffie, just newer. )

He's never been a day without Bumbah and it's rather endearing that my son still keeps his ratty old friends around. I can't imagine all of the secrets, fears, rants, raves and conversations that my son has probably had with Bumbah over the years. The countless games they've played. The unfathomable number of "adventures" that they've been on.

Yes, as my children grow and they begin not to need their once cherished lovies any more, I will take them and put them in a special place, reserved just for them, for they will always have a special place permanently in my heart for all the unwaivering love and care they gave to my children.