I was surprised my freshman year of college when girls brought stuffed animals for their beds, but so many did that I quickly realized I was the odd one out. The attachment to cuddly inanimate objects goes beyond cute, and there is usually some sort of story, a history, to the attachment.
I don't know how I missed it, but last week results came out after Travelodge asked 6,000 Brits if they still bedded G-rated plush animals. One in three said yes, calling it "comforting and calming." Are you still attached?
Some kids get attached to an item and others don't. There's a lot of talk about lovies — blankets or stuffed animals — to which children have a particular fondness. Like Linus in the Peanuts comic strip, lil ones carry them around or use them to fall asleep. Many parents debate which (if any) age is appropriate to lose the item, and then mom and dad spend a good deal of time trying to coax their child on to something else. But who is responsible for initiating the bond to the inanimate object — is it the parent that continually gives their tot the same item, or does the youngster really prefer one to all others?
