As a child, I had a special bear named Polar. (He was a Polar Bear, after all. Ten points for creativity!) He was my companion through thick and thin and despite smelling like wet dog, I loved him more than any other toy I owned. He was is real, there was no doubt about it. He now resides my room, deep in the closet, away from rambunctious children who don’t understand his importance.
Ben is the only child of mine who has become truly attached to a stuffed animal, and I have become equally so. Bo-Bo is just the perfect teddy bear- he’s floppy and soft and sweet and just represents childhood to me. He’s also been through a lot. He has an interchangale twin brother, purchased by me as a back up in case the worst should ever happen. But, he was discovered, so now there are two. Bo-Bo(s) survived against the odds and has been a part of every vacation, every move and every sickness. Bo-Bo even endured a six month stay at a big box discounter {Read about that here. It’s really a children’s book waiting to be written.}
Anyhow, Bo-Bo had an unfortunate accident last night. Ben held his face up to a light bulb and the bear sustained third degree burns (filling exposed, fur disintegrated.) Ben dissolved into a heartbreaking, lip quivering boy. I wanted to cry. This was Bo-Bo, for crying out loud.
He has since been lovingly stitched up by grandma, and wears his battle wounds proudly. They endear him to me even more. The day Ben outgrows him, I will be a blubbering mess. Bo-Bo(s) will then move into my room, right next to Polar. I think they’ll be the best of friends.
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Not only is the post great, but I LOVE LOVE LOVE the pictures.
Anyhoo…I kind of wish that I had a favorite stuffed animal growing up, but I never felt that connection. None of my kids do either. Is it genetic?
Jessi Arias-Cooper recently posted..Sleep Loss, and Blogging and Ta-tas! Oh, My!
Maybe so. My husband didn’t either and my other kids don’t. Instead, they walk around with arm fulls of whatever they can find. :)
Jess,
Consider yourself fortunate. My DD considers all (probably 50 @ last count) of her “sleep friends” to be her favorites & therefore not to be discarded, sold, donated, or disposed of in ANY fashion under penalty of severe Diva disfavor. **shudders**
Tammy P recently posted..Wordless Wednesday
I agree!! My stuffed animals and dolls were all real! My oldest had her blankie that was permanently attached to her until she was 3, my middle daughter had “George”, her kitty, and that cat when everywhere with her till she was almost 5 and she still has him on her bed to this day and she’s almost 11!
Jackie recently posted..Simple Green Giveaway Update
I have a dog named Rugs. My mom broke his back when she bagged him with others one time. I was very upset, but I still have among others. He just doesn’t sit up anymore.
Meghan,
I am frantically assuming Rugs is a stuffed dog!!
Tammy P recently posted..Wordless Wednesday
Tammy P
No need to be frantic, definately stuffed. :)
I had a bear, Teddy, and he too is loving wrapped up and hidden in a closet in our house so that my destructive children can’t hurt him. Unfortunately my children really don’t have anything. Baby girl has Baby Doll that she sleeps with, but she isn’t really like a Bobo.
Jennifer recently posted..A weekend away
Um, am I on ScaryMommy.com? Because this post is all sorts of emotional, Jill! ;)
So cute!
I know- what’s up with that?!?! Don’t go getting used to it. I’m all hormonal or something today.
I LOVE Bo Bo! Grandma did a great job with his burns and I’m also enjoying your pictures…is the polaroid emulsion your using? I downloaded it from coffeeshop and love playing with that!
If you have no idea what I’m talking about than just ignore me like you usually do and just know that I enjoyed this post both emotionally and aesthetically.
Mama Kat recently posted..That’s Gonna Be My Kid Someday?
It’s an iPhone app- Hipstamatic- I’m kind of obsessed.
Oh, is it free??
Tammy P recently posted..Wordless Wednesday
sweet memories, i had a small stuffed dog that endured years of my loving (and multiple repairs do to a real dog that seemed to like him too) his name was Brutus (?) and he met his demise with Hurricane Katrina (was not expected to flood where he was at) RIP all little lost Katrina beloved stuffed animals!! but i do enjoy watching my 16 month old attach to a teddy bear and a monkey, he loves them both!
My favorite childhood stuffed animal is Kimbo, a big gorilla my dad bought me when I was a baby. Turns out he bought it at Gimbel’s, which I couldn’t quite pronounce, so hence the name Kimbo. I hope someday my daughter will love him as much as I still do.
Pattie recently posted..My Cancer Story
AWW!! Poor Bo-Bo! I still have my very first teddy. It’s old as shit. But I love him. He is carefully tucked away to protect him from the harmful… elements.
How about this for creativity and originality? His name is Teddy. HA.
BlissfulBabe recently posted..What to Post, What to Post…
LOL. I also had a little peapod that I carried around. It’s name? Peapod.
“Old as shit” made me laugh (and I desperately needed that today).
Oh my gosh, I think I just teared up a little. What a sweet post, and awesome pictures!
I never did the stuffed animal thing but I had a “blankey” my aunt crosstitched for me, and I still haven’t out grown it at age 20, so maybe Ben will take his BoBo with him to college! haha ok, maybe not, but I’m sure it will always be super special to him!
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Oh, I wanted to cry reading this. I had a stuffed Pink Panther when I was a kid and he went with me EVERYWHERE. His little pupils wore off and I had to replace them by drawing them back on with an extra waxy black crayon. I fed him ice cream so he had a permanent gray stain on his mouth. My mom told me Pink Panthers didn’t like ice cream, but I knew otherwise. I couldn’t sleep without him and he endured every little game I wanted to play. Today, he’s enjoying his retirement in my guest bedroom, ironically placed on the dresser I had when I was a kid.
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Awwww!
I still have my Paddles (penguin) and my favorite doll, Mikaplyde (don’t ask) locked away in my room.
Paddles was next to me when I gave birth to my kids and I gave each of my kids a duplicate Mikaplyde that I had collected long before I even met their father.
Sarah recently posted..In Your What?
My son had “SUPER TED.” Ted is green and was purchased by his teacher 7 years ago from the dollar store. He is still alive and well but, alas, sitting on a shelf. My nine year old still wants him NEAR but without anyone really knowing that he wants him near. Funny thing about childhood transitions…. Super Ted is now hanging out next to the Selena Gomez poster. Ironic, huh?
JenniferG@Hip As I Wanna Be recently posted..Our First “Away” Soccer Tournament
I love this post – love how attached children get to their things, especially their babies as my kids call them. Adore how grandma patched it!!
Maria recently posted..Little Gems – The Gas Man
i had one too, his name was hush.
he died in a massive laundry room at some inn in california.
the end
vanillasugar recently posted..pb, chocolate chunk and bacon cookies
Awwww, Dawn! Sounds like you need to work through this. ;)
I had a close call with a laundry room, but he was safely returned, thank goodness.
So glad that grandma could fix him up. That was a CLOSE one. My kids have never been attached to a toy or blanket (just dress up clothes) and it makes me kind of sad…:)
angie recently posted..Wordful Wednesday-A Newer Obsession
Awww…this post is great. I still sleep with my childhood “blankie” and fought to bring it on my honeymoon years ago…hubby won…blankie stayed home. LMAO. I deep down hoped that my son would be attached to something like I was/am but so far nothing. I guess in a way its a good thing? Poor Bo-Bo, but at least you and your son can laugh at the battle scares when he is older :)
Martini Mama recently posted..Martini Mama….where are you?
Where are my Ninja Toitles? Gotta find them and go give them hugs.
Also surprised about your son’s capacity to burn a teddy bear with a light bulb. Impressive.
Anthony from CharismaticKid recently posted..Teaching your kid the secret of charisma… Shhh!! – Episode #3
You have your very own Velveteen Rabbit story in the makes! LOVED THAT BOOK. Really wish I had that same connection with a toy :-)
Amber recently posted..Bye Bye Bedtime Boobies
Me, too. So sweet! It really is amazing that B0-Bo spent SIX MONTHS in Marshall’s and we got him back. If I could illustrate, I’d write a book about it!
I love it! Just love it! What a sweet wonderful forever Mommy memory! We have an equally creative “Mr. Bear” that is the love of my 6 YO’s life. Well that is until baby sister was born. She is now too old to have a baby toy and gave Mr. Bear to her sister because “she’s well a baby” the 6 YO says. We too had the twin that was ultimately discovered. We too had the day of OMG what happened to Mr. Bear and you too will have the day when BoBo isn’t the center of your kiddo’s universe. I’m not going to lie it’s not a fun day. But just a little Mommy love from me to you..any time we are sad or just need a little extra love..Mr. Bear is in my daughters arms!
angryworkingmom recently posted..Dear FIFA: Can I have my husband back?
I had a stuffed pink dog named Fooious, who I literally loved to death. One day my mother replaced it with ANOTHER pink dog, completely different. And tried to sell me on the idea. But it was never the same. Never. I am still not over the loss of the REAL Fooious.
My son gave up his little bear just after he turned 3. My daughter, who is almost 5, still has “Snuggle Doo,” a little dog head attached to a blanket, and, of course, Bear.
Cheryl recently posted..Private parts
Poor Bo-Bo! My bear’s name is Bubby which wasn’t too clever either… that’s what his tag read. I spent every night with him tangled in my fingers from age 2 until I moved in with my husband.
Sara — The Football Wife recently posted..Toy Story 4: The Hunt for the Missing Shapes
Oh, poor Bo-Bo! Thank goodness for the handy Grandmas who can fix just about anything.
Allison recently posted..Potty Training – Works for Me
Oh – so glad Bo-Bo got fixed up! I walked around with a mangy pillow but not a stuffed animal while growing up. I think it’s endearing that children are attached to an object like that and for the longest time, my daughter wasn’t interested in anything and now she has FIVE. Funny, I posted about the Famous Five today actually – so your post definitely resonates with me.
I had a beloved teddy too, who is also hidden in the back of my closet. He’s 38 years old now… can’t believe he hasn’t disintegrated into dust by now. Same thing… I went everywhere with him, was comforted by him when I was sick and he too suffered an injury… a severed limb that was sewn back on my grandma. Funny how common these things are!
I TOTALLY get that sort of attachment to a stuffed animal and really hope that my Ben has that relationship with a teddy too.
PS- The Red Sox patch? Is that the coverup for the boo-boo? Genius!
Robin recently posted..Monday’s Muse: Jet Set
Why, yes, it is a Red Sox patch. Actually, I cut up a baseball hat just to get Ben to stop crying. B for Ben and Bo-Bo. It was perfect.
That is really c.u.t.e except for the Sox logo…it should be Yankees if you really want a cute bear!
Rebecca recently posted..Wordless Wednesday
Ok now I have tears in my eyes. I think it’s because my littIe guy is graduating from pre school tomorrow and I’m wondering how long splat the cat will reign supreme in our house.
A very sweet post. I think the patch just makes bobo look well loved. :)
Poor Bo-Bo! Excellent repair job by Dr. Grandma. I see that you used an iPhone app for those sweet pictures. And yet another reason why I need an iPhone.
Rachel {at} Mommy Needs a Vacation recently posted..Wordful Wednesday: My Baby is Growing Up
This made me cry! I still have my stegosaurus, Spike. He is tattered and worn and sits, king of his castle in a glass curio cabinet in my bedroom, coming out when I’m sick or sad. He made the trip with me to the hospital for the birth of my first (was my focal point) and will be there for the birth of my second.
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At least now you can tell the Bo-Bos apart.
And I totally understand the pain. If anything happened to Fogie, I’d be heartbroken. Admittedly, it is odd for me to have Fogie still in my bedroom.
Finally, Polar really wasn’t the whole story, now was it? Who has a fabric peapod (without the peas) as their toy?
How sweet. My baby (my first) is a year old and has just recently become permanently attached to her blanket, which she calls her “nigh-nigh”. It’s really very sweet. I absolutely fear the day that anything happens to it, and I’ve considered trying to find a back up!
People in my office are asking me why I’m crying!
Clever name? How ’bout Moo-Moo the cow?! Whom I believe is hiding somewhere in the teenage boys room so that he won’t get teased when he takes him to bed…
I myself have a pillow named “sulkie” who is hermetically sealed up in a ziploc bag in the hope chest.
Great post for a softie!
cathyjoy recently posted..Free Therapy!!!
So cute! My oldest is a blankie boy. We finally put his blankie into a box in the attic this year. I think mommy didn’t want to let go as much as B did.
I still have my teddy, as well as my baby blanket and pillow, thanks to my Grandma :) I have them tucked away nicely in our walk-in closet in a nice display basket for nobody to really see… except me.
Jill, your pics are great, the fix’er up job that was performed by Grandma excellent, hope Ben is happy again.
Ashley recently posted..Everybody Needs A Cause
Jill this is precious. BoBo is precious. I am so glad grandma had some SKILLS! Miles is my man with his lovey frog and it goes with us everywhere. We also have a backup – thank god – but I think my heart would break if anything happened to either of them.
I too have my bear from when I was a baby as w ell as my blankie and I still cherish them. They are hidden away from my monster children who would destroy them though!
Brittany at Mommy Words recently posted..Honey, don’t teach them how you clean. You sort of suck at it.
Lovely story. I just wrote a post about my daughter’s favourite teddy. Feel free to have a read!
http://21stcenturymummy.com/2010/06/22/a-tale-of-two-teddies/
21st Century Mummy recently posted..A Tale of Two Teddies
Loved this post! Took me back to when mine was small – he had a Pooh bear that he loved *so* much. But he liked to gnaw on Pooh’s nose – as a result Pooh bear had to have several nose jobs. He’s now tucked away in my closet.
Gigi recently posted..Oh to be young & bullet-proof….
I’m not even a little embarrassed to admit this brought a tear to my eye. I also have a very special bear. And dog, who are alive and living my MY closet.
Aww that’s so sweet! I’m sometimes caught off guard by sentimentality too. It tends to weird people out. I wish I had a teddy bear now.
My little girl is attached to her Pink Polka Dot Puppy, which no longer has the polka dots…they have long since been loved off. Her big brother was still trying to sneak his holey green blankie in his backpack for school, so we had to pack it away (he is not in elementary school anymore, and that’s all I’ll say! )
I hate you. You made me cry. I attached more to Blankie than a stuffed animal. Blankie was a yellow and white hand-crocheted number, done by one of my Italian Aunties, I’m sure. The middle part had separated from the outside and it was a perfect square. In 3rd or 4th grade, we did the token sleepover at the Museum of Science. I snuck that middle piece of Blankie along in my sleeping bag. Much to my chagrin, I discovered that the piece was gone once I got home. I was devastated. Could barely cope. Luckily, I still have the rest of Blankie. In my closet.
I have a dear, dear friend, whom I love very much, who had a blue bunny when he was little. Same thing… tattered, dirty, messy… but God did he love that bunny. At one point recently, he was not sure if it was still at his parents’ house, so I set out in search of a replacement bunny for him. It took me about a month to find the one I wanted, but finally I stumbled on this BEAUTIFUL handmade blue bunny on Etsy. It was made of old cashmere sweaters and when he arrived, I could just tell he was made with love. I’m hoping he gave my friend a little solace. :)
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Ah, lovely bears. My son’s is (cunningly) named Teddy. Or Tederific Ted for short. I can’t imagine what would happen to his world if anything ever happened to Ted. I sort of imagine that one day, when he gets married, Ted will move into the house with them.
MommyTime recently posted..To Allowance or Not to Allowance
When my youngest son(at that time) was about 9 months old, my older son gave him a Pound Puppy. Grandpa had taken older son to buy a toy and older son thought he should pick a toy out for his brother.
When my son started talking the dog’s name was PuppyDoggie. It went EVERYWHERE with him. If we forgot him we knew we had to go back.
We once were on a 6 hour car trip and 2 hours in realized that we had left PuppyDoggie at home. We knew younger son would not last a week without so we turned around and went back. I know! Seriously. Fast forward to younger son being about 7 yrs old. PuppyDoggie disappeared. We backtracked and searched everywhere. My son was distraught. So was I. It was a horrible feeling. He couldn’t sleep, had no appetite, and would cry every time he thought about him being gone. It seriously broke my heart.
For years and years I would scour used toy bins at Goodwill etc if I happened to be in one. I always kept my eye out for him. They didn’t make those Pound Puppies anymore so getting a new one was not an option.
When my son was 16 I was surfing ebay and came across a dog EXACTLY like the one we had lost many years before. Of course I bid for and won it. When it arrived I cried. The girl who was selling him said her mom had bought it for her to take to college…it hung in her dorm room. It had the same scuffed nose that ours had and also a large c-section scar just like PuppyDoggie. When I showed the dog to my son he got teary-eyed. PuppyDoggie is not allowed out of the house. My son is now 25 and has 2 kids of his own. I know they’d love to have PuppyDoggie but I can’t bear to part with him. One of these days I’ll send it home with them when they are old enough to understand how important he is.
Sorry my reply is so long. I read your story and teared up because I understand how important those items are to some children.
Blessings, C
Best pictures ever! Even my husband enjoyed this post (and the two it linked to, detailing the history of the Bobos). :)
Aweee…. My 16 y/o daughter (who was born weighing a mere 4 lbs) was given a stuffed rabbit and it stayed with her in the NICU. This rabbit was dressed in a pink onsie and the same size as my tiny little baby girl. She looooves “Bunny” (also 10 points for her creativity) so much that to this good day she still sleeps with her. Last year at school during Homecoming week, they had a wear your PJs day (yes…they still do that in HS). She proudly dressed in her best PJ attire but was NOT ABOUT to take Bunny for fear of damage to her very delicate body…nu-uh…noooo waaaaay…
**wipes a tear** you ladies are all a bunch of softies. Love it!!
Tammy P recently posted..Wordless Wednesday
*sniff*
Poor Bo-Bo! Now he has to live his life with a Red Sox badge on his face! =)
Good plan with the back up. I have the same thing going on at my house. My little guy has a Mr. Kitty that somehow manages to be in the car and on his bed at all times. He must think Mr. Kitty is magic.
-Aimee
Aimee @ Ain’t Yo Mama’s Blog recently posted..Response cached until Thu 24 @ 6:51 GMT (Refreshes in 43 Minutes)
My dog found my teddy bear and promptly chewed him up. I guess she didn’t want any competition for my affections!
Lynn from For Love or Funny recently posted..I’m in big trouble
Awww. My bear got left behind in Africa. Along with a bunch of other stuff. My parents got me another teddy. But it just wasn’t the same.
I hereby solemnly swear that I will never ever let ‘Kikki’ – my daughters bear of choice go and will always cherish him.
My daughter is obsessed with her polka dot dinosaur, and he’s just sustained a debilitating neck injury. This is a big deal for a dinosaur. What to do. .
adhocmom recently posted..The Summer Reading List of My Dreams. . .
I have a whole shelf full of stuffed animals at my mom’s house still and I’m 36. Most I have had as long as I can remember, before I was 3 or 4 years old. My oldest boy had a blanket that he loved that is now carefully tucked away. My youngest has a little stuffed leopard that has a chamois tummy and is actually meant to be used to clean your computer screen. He has named it “Little Rover” and I love it almost as much as he does, because of how cute he is with it and how important it is to to him.
I know just what you mean. A child’s attachment to a stuffed animal is the SWEETEST thing. My son also has a polar bear (Bur) – and a gazillion others, each of which he loves to death. If that’s possible. He’s just started to put his face right up in theirs and say, “Hi!” “Good?” “Yeah.” “Fast.” “Loud.”
He’s having conversations about trucks with them.
This makes me want to cry. I had a very special blanket that went everywhere with me–including college. Now two of my kids have very well-loved animals, and I too have blogged about losing them, finding them, and sewing them back up.
My daughter has Baby Bear. I don’t remember a time before him. But I don’t know exactly where he came from. It could have been a first birthday present or it could have been a gift from a family member just because.
It’s just a little bear who wears a narrow brown ribbon around his neck. His ear is slightly torn from where the dog chewed on it. But for my daughter, Baby Bear is her rock.
He sleeps with my daughter every night and even accompanies her on sleepovers. Baby Bear will always be part of our family.
Jen recently posted..Manic Monday
Oh the stories I could tell about my girls and their rabbit blankets!! Valerie has Tough Fred and Soft Fred. Veronica has Butters and Other Butters. I too had purchased a double to stand in, but they quickly realized there were TWO and so now two come with us everywhere. They have been left behind in hotel rooms, lost in the mall, etc. Valerie has outgrown hers somewhat, but Veronica is very, very attached.
Melanie recently posted..August 2011
Oh – I love my Little Bear just that much. He sits on a shelf with Monkey and Hedgie (I was a creative namer too – just ask my first parakeet, Polly). They gather dust – but I love them just the same.
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