Even though I am eighteen years old, I still sleep with stuffed animals in my bed, even when I am in college. And that is okay! Society has constructed such a solid misconception that sleeping with a stuffed animal is childish and immature, but they are wrong. Here are my three reasons as to why sleeping with a stuffed animal is okay even well into adulthood.
3. Feeling of Security
Even though you may not cuddle your stuffed animal to sleep, sometimes it is nice to have in your bed with you. When we associate certain memories or activity to this stuffed animal, it brings us comfort in keeping it by our side.
2. It is a part of who you are
People who sleep with stuffed animals often have sentimental value to it. Most people do not just keep it to keep it but instead keep it for comfort and remembrance. It is a part of who we are and it tells stories of our childhood or lives that sometimes we just do not want to forget.
1. It contains memories
Being away from home, keeping a stuffed animal often reminds us of where we came from and our families. Sometimes we got a stuffed animal from someone we hold dear to our hearts and it contains sentimental value because of that. Whether it be a bear that you got before you have major surgery or a stuffed bunny that your grandma gave to you before she passed away, It is okay to hold close to these items.
Maybe you do not agree. Perhaps you still think that having stuffed animals is childish and immature. That is okay however, what is not okay is if you judge and shame someone from having a stuffed animal. Nobody knows what everyone has gone through and what traumatic experiences that have occurred in someone's life. Perhaps that stuffed bear the 25-year-old boy keeps with him is something his parents gave him before they passed. That 40-year-old who has a stuffed dolphin may have PTSD and use it as a comfort. Or the 34-year-old adult may just like stuffed animals. That is all okay. We are all to support and love one another and when we do that, we often learn to change the world.
