Step Kids and Stuffed Animals
My husband has two children from his first marriage; boys aged 10 and 9. The boys sleep with their stuffed animals. We know for a fact that their mother encourages this behaviour because they still receive stuffed animals from her. These stuffed animals are taken with them on car rides and in telephone conversations to the boys, she often refers to them: “I have your stuffed animals with me and they ride with me in the truck everywhere I go!” Is this healthy? When we attempt to talk to the boys about their need for this security blanket, the eldest becomes quite upset. We are not anxious for these boys to grow up fast, but we are concerned that perhaps they are being held back emotionally.
Advice: Our advice is to major in the majors and let the rest work itself out. When the boys do not need these things anymore, they will fall by the wayside. Divorce takes its toll on growing up and if some “security blankets” help make that less painful, then let the boys have their comforts.
Moving from house to house is hard on a kid. Other kids wet their beds, pull out hair, etc., so be glad that this is all they are doing and don’t mention it again. It is doubtful that they will take these stuffed animals to college with them. Even then, don’t worry too much, if everything else is okay.
