subject: christmas teddy bear for kids | christmas teddy bear [print this page] As I grew, I never lost that sense that my stuffed animals were like important friends who would always be there for me when I got home. I kept them in my bed through high school, brought them to college with me, and even now that I'm in a serious relationship and have to share my bed with my boyfriend (as well as a few cats!) I still have plenty of stuffed friends to keep me company. My boyfriend actually has more of them than I do! One of my favorite memories is of his 21st birthday. The look on his face when he opened that last package to see a cute little stuffed badger inside was one of pure joy! I have a picture of him just afterwards, holding his new badger who he named Gerard.
Yes, he's in his 20s, and he is secure enough in his masculinity that he has no qualms about sleeping with a stuffed badger at night. This is the same guy who spends much of his days off playing video games and eating large quantities of bacon.
I think perhaps our stuffed friends enable us to retain a bit of our childhoods as we enter into the adult world. Without them, we wouldn't have those warm emotional reminders of the carefree days when we didn't have to pay bills or do our own laundry. They give us that little extra bit of comfort that sometimes every person needs when life gets stressful. Plus, it's always fun to go into the Build-a-Bear Workshop (preferably on a weekday when the kids are at school), hand in hand, to get each other a new cuddly guy or girl!
So, for all my fellow teddy bear lovers over the age of ten, don't be ashamed! I am not afraid to let my love of all things cute and cuddly be known. In fact, just a few weeks ago, I found Floppy Beaver in a box at my mom and dad's house. I hadn't seen him in years! My mom must have packed him up at some point, because I didn't know where he'd gotten himself off to. I was so happy to finally have him back! Best of all, my boyfriend got to meet him. He came back home with us and, after probably ten years or more, he's back on my bed. He's got a bunch of new friends, too, including Mr. Gerard the Badger.
