Oh dear. That gave me a nice sized lump in my throat…sniff
Thank you for a lovely story Sauron !
Thank you, JimSox5. That means more to me than I can tell you.
Here’s to Spike, and Drowsy, and Moosey (and Moosey II!), and Doggie, and DogDog, and stool samples (thank GOD you explained that, racer72), and Blankens, and jumpers, and torn flannel shirts, and Dog, and the myriad other items from our childhood (or our parenthood, as the case may be).
Sauron, inspired by your thread, last night as I was tucking in my nine year old [ten year old as of today–sniff] I asked where her pink blankie was. It is just warm enough that the furnace is off, just cold enough that you need an extra blanket by morning. Emma said, “I could use that,” and got out of bed, went straight to the shelf, and pulled it right out. She knew exactly where it was. And then she said, “I am never going to get rid of this. I am taking it with me to college.”
And I believe she will.
Fantastic thread, beautiful piece.
Threadspotting! jumps for joy
You guys are so lucky.
When I moved here from India, I was in the process of being adopted by my aunt - who was not in the least sentimental and actually wanted me to forget those four years. So all my baby toys, blankies, everything was left home.
When I was 10 and returned, my other aunt did have one thing - a tiny steel drinking cup, perfect for a child’s hand, with my name engraved on it. Unfortunately even that’s gone now.
I wish I could have kept some of my childhood things!
A beautiful post Sauron. Thank you. You are truly a wordsmith and are a wonderful father as well. And this:
indicates how unbelievably wise you are. 
What does it say, that I was seventeen years old before I stopped sleeping with my Softy Cover?
When I have kids, I’m definitely going to make it available to them, but I don’t delude myself that it’ll mean the same to any of them that it did to me. Every child has to choose his or her own blankie teddy bear thingy.
My first treasured bedtime buddy was “Lil’ Darling”, a stuffed puppy that belonged to my mother, and endured so much abuse that she had to undergo several “surgeries” to repair her ears and facial features.
Afraid that the doggie might not last through college, I took “Bunnie” and a new cloth doll that I used as a pillow. (The doll ended up as pillow stuffing after its subpar stitches fell apart. grumbles)
I still have Bunnie now as a pillow, except I put a small green towel over her so I don’t need to wash her as often. (She’s a tad large for the appliances I have.)
At my cousin’s son’s Bar Mitzvah, she was giving the mom’s speach about how her little boy had grown into a big tall lacrosse player, and she related the story of her son’s blankie. With him knowing, she had sewn a small square of his blankie into the lining of his suit, so he’d always have a bit of comfort with him even though he was a man now.
Not a dry eye in the house.
Very nice story Sauron and very nice writing.
Nicely done Sauron, in all senses of the phrase.
Life goes by so fast. My son is now 22 and is moving back home after graduating from college until he can find a permanent job. His first carload had his small stuffed brown and white bunny named Hop-hop. Hop-hop was immediately placed on his pillow.
Hop-hop was his first stuffed animal. It rode home with him from the hospital when he was born. For his entire pre-school life it never left his side. Hop-hop would accompany him to the sandbox. And on the swingset. I was surprised when he continued to keep him around when he hit puberty. I was shocked when he continued to sleep with him in his arms when he was in high school. I was astounded when he took him off to college with him.
We have lots of Hop-hop stories of course. But the strangest is when my son, at perhaps 5-6 years old, placed him on the front bumper of my car unbeknownst to me. I drove off to the grocery store. Coming out of the store I was shocked to see Hop-hop happily sitting there on the bumper. It was a miracle he didn’t fall off.
Yep, life sure does go by fast. But it sure gets filled with a lot of wonderful memories. Thanks for sharing your story.
Okay, I’m gonna run out and rent Toy Story 2 now.
You know, of course, that Hop-Hop was placed there to keep you safe?
In a drawer?! After all those years of love? You monster! My scrappy yellow (now greyish) kangaroo, aptly named “Filth”, resides happily under my pillow. Every night he is tucked tightly under my chin. He has been with me through childhood, college, a tonsillectomy at 23, divorce, and every kind of cold and flu, and has weathered about 600 launderings, poor thing. When my shoulder was dislocated, he was exactly the right wedge shape to prop it comfortably when I slept. Can I get along without him? Yes. I no longer take him on trips for fear of losing him, and manage to sleep well anyway.
cough I’m 37 cough
My daughter had Nam-Nam, a stuffed lamb as her favourite baby toy. But it wasn’t Nam-Nam that was her “pink blankie”, it was the large “New material only Do not remove before retail sale” tag made from a smooth, satin-like material that was firmly sewn into Nam-Nam’s neck seam. She would sleep with the tag clutched firmly in one hand, and would fondle it or rub it against her face when she was unhappy.
I’m 35 and I still have my Boo Bear. Boo Bear has been everywhere with me. He went to college with me. I can neither confirm, nor deny, that Boo Bear has a lifetime occupational radiation exposure from my time in the Navy. Boo Bear is in my bedroom at the moment, in a corner, but waiting patiently til I want to see him again.
I think that will be in a few minutes.
Thanks, Sauron.
Awww…
Now I must email my mom and find out if Silkie is still around. I have a sudden yen to try to stick the end of Silkie in my ear like I did 30 years ago…
Funny you should say this … I had a friend in college years ago who had a Silkie. It was the only remaining remnant of her baby blanket. She said she slept with it next to her cheek every night.
You didn’t happen to go to college in Birmingham, Alabama, did you?
That was wonderful. Pink Blankie would be so proud.
Many thanks, Sauron .
My son became attached to Teddy–a bear I bought him when he was brand new. He is still attached at 13 and I am sure that Teddy will go with him wherever he goes…he sleeps with the Tedster.
My youngest son also became attached to burp clothes, Velma --I kept one or two of them, but used the rest for dust rags ( they make great dusters). He also has 2 stuffed animal cats: Hootoo and hootooha. They attend his slumbers, nightly.
My daughter and her best friend had the same doll (they already had the dolls when they met)–and they share both the same first and middle names(!)…so that is her “lovey”–her name(the doll’s) is Duhduh-who like that gnome in the movie, Amelie goes everywhere with daughter-camp, Europe, sleepovers, etc. She is 15.
I had a lovey, too. I still have bluebear aka Smokey.
thanks for the memory!
Thanks for a wonderful story Sauron <hoping no one is watching me read this>
