This is Snuggles. Snuggles is a girl and she is a bear blanket. This is Mya's best friend. They were first introduced when Mya was 4 months old. They've been inseparable since.
When Mya wants to sleep, Snuggles is there for an overnight cuddle. When she is sad or angry Snuggles gives comfort. Snuggles celebrates a birthday everyday with Mya and the rest of her animal friends. No one else gets a birthday party, just Snuggles.
Snuggles is a baby and Mya typically cares for her as a mother. As I am writing this Mya stops to tell me Snuggles needs to potty. There's nothing more amusing that to walk into the bathroom to see a Snuggles sitting on the potty having a pee.
We don't know what life would be like without a Snuggles. In fact, Mya and I went shopping for our soon to meet baby so he/she would have her very own Snuggles. It was Mya's idea and she insisted it was a must have. In fact, she reminded me to get two of them. For the first two years of Mya's life she thought only one Snuggles existed. However, we had purchased two just in case one was ever lost per the advice of a family member.
Mya discovered she had two Snuggles one day as she was helping me fold laundry. I forgotten it was inside the basket. Mya picked it up and ran for her room to get her other one as she said with pure excitement grinning from ear to ear, "There's two Snuggles!" She could not have been happier. Meanwhile, I was faced with a dilemma as panic consumed me. It was a freaky moment. When she turned her back I took one of them and told her that we rotate snuggles when the other one needs a wash. She seemed satisfied with this rationale at the time but every now and then she asks to play with both Snuggles which we kindly reject.
Brian and I wonder if Mya will ever give up Snuggles. Will she be a Linus van Pelt? Some parents start to freak out when their child has a snuggle-like object after the preschool years, but my philosophy is different. I think it is perfectly healthy for her to enjoy such a comfort for as long as she likes. Maybe the time will come one day when she tells us she is ready to give up Snuggles for good. For now, Snuggles is just as much as part of the family as any and we have all grown to love her.
Ode to Snuggles!
