From the time we are very small, we find ways to comfort us. When I was little, I had a yellow and white checked blanket and a stuffed purple bunny named Fluffy. I took the bunny on family vacations and actually left it at a resort we stayed at on our way to Minnesota to visit family. It made it back home, but it was a tad faded from being left in the window too long. I also remember feeling very comforted when I slept by sticking my toes under the long row of stuffed animals that lined the edge of my bed where the sheets were nice and cool.
Now I get to watch my kids decide what comforts them, which is absolutely fascinating. Madi has Bearie, which is a bear/blanket combo which she would take everywhere if she could, holding him right under the head. She will take Bear for walks in her baby stroller, feed him dinner, comfort him when he is sick, and tucks him under her chin when she sleeps along with “Green Blankie”. This is a soft blanket with silky edges that my Grandma gave her when she was a baby. This has to be on top of her when she sleeps, regardless if it is 30 degrees or 90 degrees outside. Oh, and don’t forget her “friends”, stuffed animals that surround her head while she sleeps. It usually takes some considerable arranging to make sure they are all in the right spots.
Parker on the other hand, at least right now, has Fuzzy, which is a bear/blanket combo which he sleeps with in his crib. He likes to hang on to the little arms of the bear and/or tuck him into the crook of his elbow while he sleeps. He also has a fleece blanket that goes on top of him to start off with, which he will pull up to his chin, but then quickly discards so he can roll around in his bed.
But Parker doesn’t want to carry his Fuzzy around – actually, when I get him up in the morning, he takes it with him and then almost immediately tosses it back into his crib, because his true comfort item is…my hair! When I pick him up, his hand goes right back to my hair and he will twirl it if it is down or tug on my ponytail. I don’t know what about it comforts him, but he started it when he was a baby and would cuddle on my shoulder with his fingers tangled in my hair, progressed to being almost violent about it when he was cranky, and now, it’s become a habit!
So, here’s the thing…I don’t have my yellow blanket or my Fluffy anymore (they might be in a box somewhere) but what do we do as adults? What becomes our security blanket, that thing that makes us feel better about ourselves or comforts us? One thing for me is wearing Old Navy tank tops. I discovered them when I was pregnant and fell in love with them because they are longer with wide straps and they help me feel like everything is “held in”. Plus, I guess I just got used to wearing them. Something else comforting? Well, if I am having a particularly crummy day, I admit a big bowl of ice cream with chocolate sauce and whipped cream makes the day more manageable.
Maybe if I had less crummy days (with ice cream involved), then I wouldn’t have to rely on my tank tops to make me feel more secure, huh?
