I won't lie, maybe some of you are thinking something along the lines of, "What the heck is wrong with this girl," or a few of you it might breathe a sigh of relief because now you know you aren't the only one. Terry -- that's his name. He's been with me since birth, and has all the signs of it. The first question people always ask about him is, "Where are his ears?" He's been loved every minute we've been together -- from nap time in preschool, to sleepovers, and making the transition into college. The first thing my parents asked me the summer before I moved into college was if I was going to bring Terry with me -- of course I was.
At my age maybe sleeping with a stuffed animal or any sort of comfort item might seem childish, but it's what I'm used to. I don't feel embarrassed by it, or worried about what people will think of me. When I was a young girl I wouldn't be able to sleep at night without him, and I would be in tears without him. Now, I can stay somewhere overnight without him, but he's not something that I'm willing to give up just because I've outgrown the age that society deems acceptable to sleep with a teddy bear. My parents never forced me to give him up, or slowly try to wean me off of him; they just didn't think it was necessary. I never toted him back and forth to school with me -- once I started kindergarten -- and never cried for him when I had to leave the house. He was my stuffed animal and made me feel at home when I wasn't.
When I moved into college I knew he was coming with along with me. I wasn't the slightest bit worried about what people would think of me, nor did I really care if they were going to think any differently of me. All college students should have something that reminds them of home for when they're homesick, stressed, or just need something that is familiar to them. Terry proudly sits on my bed each and every day, and every night he "sleeps" right next to my pillow, the same place he has slept for the past 19 years.
Having a comfort item in no way should be anything that someone should be embarrassed about. It's part of who we are and our childhood. Own it. That blanket, stuffed animal, pillow, etc., has been around for as long a some of us have been alive and more than likely helped most of us get through a lot of tears, listened to our childish banter when we thought it was our best friend, was our trust cape that helped us catch the bad guy, and even got dragged through the mud a few too many times, but somehow it was always back on our bed good as new.
So, in closing, thank you, Terry, for everything you did that you never knew you were doing.
