Collecting stuffed animals is a memorable part of everyone’s childhood. These soft and plush friends provide comfort and companionship for children of all ages. Plus, they come in a variety of barnyard, jungle and exotic animals. They’re a guaranteed source of entertainment for your children.
I remember I grew up during the Beanie Baby craze. They were so popular that many toy stores were sold out of them on a regular basis. My most prized Beanie Baby – wish could be considered a variety of collectable teddy bears – was the Princess Diana bear. A deep purple stuffed animal with a white flower on its chest and a ribbon around its neck, this bear sat in a clear display case on a shelf in my bedroom for years. It was much too important to play with, but instead served as a prized possession.
Everyone seems to have a lucky number. For many, the number seven will suffice because it already has a lucky connotation. You can bet your bottom dollar that no one in their right mind would choose 13. I’ve noticed that many hotels and even cruise ships don’t have a 13th floor; the elevator goes straight from 12 to 14. Whether it’s something to bet on or intended to be a sign of coincidence, you could ask anyone what number they prefer and I’m sure it wouldn’t take them more than a few seconds to give you a definite answer.
My lucky number is six. It’s not a jersey number or the number of men I dated before I met my husband. It dates back all the way to my childhood when I was about six or seven years old. It was Easter and my family had gone to our neighborhood Easter egg hunt. Before the games began the announcer had mentioned that there were several eggs with special marking that indicated a prize. I found an orange egg marked by the number six and won a stuffed animal. And what became even more special about the number is that this stuffed animal – a bunny in a purple suit – became my favorite stuffed animal of all time.
It seems that children have the most fleeting attention spans in the world, and it’s hard to keep any child entertained by one object or activity for long. That’s why every parent and babysitter needs an arsenal of toys and activities to have on hand at all times to prevent boredom. Especially on rainy days when outside play is impossible, kids need constant stimulation. It’s a good idea to have imagination-inspiring toys and activities prepared in addition to regular toys.
Crafts are always a good way to go, but kids can have endless fun putting on a puppet show using hand puppets. Let each child choose a hand puppet and devise characters, a plot, dialogue and props. Have them practice their show, and then organize the rest of the family to watch the final show. Serve snacks and drinks for a refreshing treat afterward! Encourage the kids to come up with different stories every week to keep their imaginations running.
Most children grow up with several stuffed animals and receive many throughout their lives. Usually, however, one stuffed animal becomes the most special to a child and must travel everywhere with him. Failure to bring this special animal along on car trips, to the doctor, etc. can spell disaster for the child. And if the animal become irreparably soiled or destroyed, it is nothing short of apocalypse.
This may seem dramatic, but most parents would agree. That’s why it’s a good idea to buy extras of the stuffed animal that your child favors most. I had a friend whose son loved a teddy bear that played a song when you pulled a string. This bear would often become soiled from being left out in the rain or being sucked on by the boy, and the music would stop playing after a while. My friend always had three or four backup stuffed animals – exact replicas – to replace the bear once the current one had to be thrown away. Of course, the exchange was always done in secret, and her son was never the wiser!
Children and stuffed animals go hand-in-hand – quite literally in many cases. At a certain age, it can be difficult to separate a child from his favorite plush toy. Teddy bears and other stuffed animals provide comfort and constant companionship. For young kids who are afraid of the dark, a teddy bear is often a source of strength. It’s no wonder that parents and family friends put a lot of forethought into which stuffed animals they present to kids.
There are plenty of mass-produced teddy bears on the market, but their abundance is part of the problem. These stuffed animals are made in far-flung regions of the world with little regard for craftsmanship. One of a kind teddy bears, on the other hand, are made with painstaking attention to detail. In their most important stages of development, children deserve nothing less than a quality companion.
For many years I had a strong aversion to zoos. Every time I went to see a new exhibit, I would feel sorry for the animals stuck in cages. Luckily, the zoo in my town is known for being progressive. Each animal’s natural habitat is recreated with a startling degree of accuracy. As such, I began taking my 3-year-old son to check out the wildlife. He grew especially fond of the Daisy the black bear.
Trips to the zoo can be expensive and time-consuming, so I formulated a plan that would appease my son when he wanted to “go see Daisy.” I looked online for custom teddy bears and came upon a black bear that bore a remarkable resemblance to Daisy. My son loved the gift, but he still pesters me about going to the zoo to see the penguins.
Though it’s sometimes hard to believe, we all were young once. Even now, most of us can revisit the whimsical days of childhood – if only for a moment – by picking up the relics of those simpler times. For instance, blowing the dust from the top of an old board game can bring back a flurry of memories. The same can be said for exploring the old family shed and seeking out a trusty toy truck.
For many, the most powerful connection to childhood is embodied by a favorite stuffed animal. As kids learn to socialize, they convey human thoughts and emotions to these constant companions. For a fleeting moment in time, these playthings and their owners are practically inseparable. It’s nice to know that such a link still exists whenever one feels like waxing nostalgic.
As a friend of a new mother, it’s not always easy to set yourself apart from the gift-giving crowd. By the time a baby shower rolls around, a mother has likely received enough sets of baby clothes, candles and soaps to last a lifetime. To select the appropriate gift, a thoughtful guest should try to think like a proud mother.
The best gifts remain relevant years after they are received, and their physical presence should conjure up warm images. Memory bears, or teddy bears made from the fabric of a baby’s receiving blanket, create a lasting reminder that can be brought out time and again. These gifts demonstrate a lot of careful planning, because they require complicity from the husband or someone else with access to the receiving blanket. The unabashed glee on a new mother’s face makes the extra effort worthwhile.
Many parents are concerned about how much television their children watch on a daily basis, because they are afraid that it is a large chunk of their day where they aren’t using their imagination or having any significant thought at all. For that reason, if you are concerned about this issue, let your kids know that you’ll be taking the TV out of its cherished spot in the living room one day a week. Remove it to the garage or some other location, and with that gaping hole, create something imaginative like a show with hand puppets.
This, of course, works best with young children. But if you have young children in the house, you’d be surprised at how engaged they’ll become with this real life “TV show.” Have them help make sets for the puppet shows or even hats or other accessories for the puppets themselves. And if you throw your time and energy into these shows, you might even hear your kids clambering for you to haul the TV out of the living room on more than one night a week.
For many women, there’s one article of clothing that just sits in the closet without ever getting worn again, and that’s her wedding dress. It’s impossible to throw it out because of sentimental reasons, but there’s also no possible event that you would ever wear it again. (Unless, of course, you thought to purchase a designer dress that could double as formalwear at some black tie event!) This means many women continually push it out of the way for years and years until they eventually throw it out with the Sunday trash.
But there are some things you can do with the wedding dress other than ignoring it for twenty-five years. For one, you can hold onto it and pass it on to your daughter when she gets married. While some people pass rings or other tokens on as wedding day heirlooms, a dress can be a meaningful addition to your child’s wedding. Or, you can always have a memory bear made from the dress. These bears are custom made, and they incorporate the fabric from important items such as a wedding dress. This way, your dress is out of the closet, but it will always be close to you.