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There's something magical about loveys, those security blankets or stuffed animals or whatever else your child is currently carrying around to feel safe and cozy. They're threadbare and sometimes coated with cereal but so, so loved. Just try leaving the house without that favorite blankie -- all hell will break loose. And when your little one is feeling sad or scared, nothing makes them feel better than having their lovey in hand. (Well, next to a hug from Mom or Dad, of course!)
Loveys are so important -- and yet, I almost think children don't pick their loveys. Their loveys pick them! If so, what do those "attachment objects" see in our kids? What does your toddler's lovey say about her?
My son didn't have a special blankie or stuffed animal. I made him a little quilt, he had a blanket with his name on it, and he had stuffed critters everywhere. But instead of something soft and sweet, his object of affection was Wonder Woman -- a hard, plastic, little action figure he carried around with him the same way King Kong carried around Fay Wray. I liked to flatter myself thinking Wonder Woman reminded him of me. But when I asked, he said NO! -- which I translated as "silly narcissist, of course not!"
I think he carried Wonder Woman because he wanted some of her magic powers. Life is scary for a little toddler. Maybe he wanted to feel like a superhero!
Compare this with my little brother, who carried around the "animal blanket." This was a quilt with a pattern of zoo animals -- and by the time my brother left the house, he still had a shred of that thing. He was the younger brother of two tight sisters who played with each other all the time -- but rarely with him. (We were so mean.) My brother was lonely! He needed some buddies of his own: The animals on this animal blanket. They were his crew.
Maybe there is something to this lovey psychology. I think if we heard enough lovey stories, we might finally begin to understand the toddler mind -- what do you think?
What does your child use as a lovey? Do you think it reveals anything about them?
Image via A Forest Frolic/Flickr
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