Teddy Bear

What is it about children and their stuffed animals? Long after my son is asleep I find that I can't carry his favorite teddy bear upstairs by the ear, for fear I might be hurting it. I guess we feel this way because the love a child feels for a favorite toy is so intense, it needs to be respected. We parents can only hope our children feel the same way about us as they do about Big Teddy, though how can we compare - Big Teddy isn't the one denying candy for dinner or forcing them to write odious thank you cards. As parents we are indebted to the stuffed animals who hunker down under the covers at night with our children and provide reassuring friendly faces after we've said good night and left the room.
Favorite stuffed animals also give children someone smaller than themselves upon which to exercise some control. Around our house, teddy bears and other animals have suffered the indignities of being diapered, getting imaginary shots and real band aids, eating wooden food, and being forced to lie down for naps in the middle of the afternoon, tired or not.
Of course you never know quite how much a child loves his favorite teddy bear until that teddy is accidentally left in the back seat of Nana and Papa's car.

song: Teddy Bear • artist: Elivs Presley