Why we never let go of our childhood teddies
( ... and I have still got mine! )
HoW very clever of the amazingly prolific J.K. rowling to come up with a christmas story which celebrates the bond between a child and a comforter.
studies by child psychologists at Bristol and yale have found that up to 70 per cent of young children develop an attachment to an object such as a toy or blanket.
the phenomenon tends to be more common in the West, where children usually sleep apart from their parents at an early age. apparently, children anthropomorphise the object and look at it as if it has feelings. they know it’s not alive, but believe in it as if it is.
Jack, the hero of J.K. rowling’s book the christmas Pig, has a habit of hiding his pig and not remembering where he put it.enter No.2, an identical pig kept for when No. 1 can’t be found.
the root of the tale is what does it mean to be a replacement or understudy — not the one who is loved beyond reason, but the one who has to work hard to satisfy the child?
It was inspired, says J.K., by the day her son, david, then a toddler, found a pristine pig in a cupboard.It had been bought as a back-up in case he lost the original.
It’s unusual for her to reveal anything about her children. Like so many writers, she’s taken care to protect their privacy. But there are, I hope, times when it’s oK to include them in a personal story that happened long ago and will chime with so many parents.
david, she revealed this week, ended up with two towelling pigs, but the first one remained his favourite; the one he couldn’t go to sleep without.
How to account for which toy becomes the chosen one? No idea.I still find it curious that my elder son, ed, chose as his constant companion the cheapest, scruffiest creature, rather than one of his far more elegant soft toys.
she was known as skinny Lizzie.she was about eight inches long, homemade and bought at a christmas fair.
she was the first thing I spotted on the toy table. Her body, legs and arms were wool, her head was stuffed with cotton wool and she had yellow woollen plaits. Her dress was brown-and-white checked gingham. she had big eyes and a lovely smile.
I’ll never understand why ed’s face lit up the minute he saw her.It was love at first sight and they were never parted. she came everywhere with us and he couldn’t sleep unless Lizzie was with him.
Keeping her clean was a bit of a trial. a neighbour came up with the idea of a stand-in for when
LONG, long ago, during my early teenage years, there were two choices when it came to being a pop fan. You either loved Elvis or Cliff Richard. I was Elvis, my best friend was Cliff and, consequently, we had to see all their films.
Judging by the pictures of Cliff embarking on his latest tour at the age of 80, my friend backed the right one.
Lizzie No. 1 was wet. she was sort of accepted, but there was always a sigh of relief when the original was returned.
ed could be quite cruel to Lizzie, throwing her in the air and not remembering where she’d landed.she never seemed to mind, even when she spent two weeks behind the microwave — I should have cleaned the kitchen better — and the stand-in took over. Later, Lizzie No. 1 quickly re-established herself as the indisputable favourite.
Ed GreW out of his obsession, and I have no idea what happened to either of the skinny Lizzies.
I do, though, remember my own comforter — a more conventional choice. teddy was the first gift I received from my godfather, given to me at birth. He slept in my cot and accompanied me everywhere.
I doubt ed even remembers Lizzie now he’s a grown man. But teddy is a different matter.
He lives in my bedroom. He became my companion 71 years ago. He came to university and I have, occasionally, been heard having a chat with him.
could his enduring presence be the result of my being an only child? all I know is he’s now the only one left who knew me when I was little.