A Piece of Blankie Bliss

Oh the Blankie! Some children love them from birth. They provide comfort at bedtime. They provide warmth on cold day. They become a companion to a thumb sucker. Blankie and thumb. Thumb and blankie. Oh, blankie= security. Some mothers loathe them as they become the “have to have,” but I have a true appreciation for the “blankie loving child.” I was one. I had yellow waffle print blankie with a satin ribbon lining. As the ribbon wore off, it became knotted and tattered and torn and then it was gone. Poof. Blankie disintegrated. Went back to the earth. Or the trash (thanks to my mother?)

Last Saturday, at my daughter’s soccer game, I was reminded of my blankie by another little girl who had her own. I saw her holding what could only be described as a tattered mess. When I asked her what she was holding (full well knowing from my past what it was?) She proudly stated, “My blankie. I love my blankie.” Then she put her thumb in her mouth and started sucking. Then she proceeded to rub her blankie on her face. Oh, the memories. I could remember how my own blankie felt on my face. Pure Blankie Bliss.

I love seeing children hold blankies as if no one could pry them from them. That they could stand you down if you got too close. Not too long ago, I was having coffee at Starbucks with some fellow mommies and we were telling “blankie stories,” as if I am actually admitting we have nothing better to talk about. This one mother was describing her son’s blankie ritual as if comparing him to a drug addict. “I don’t let him take his blankie to school. That’s where I draw the line. So, when I pick him up, he immediately wants his blankie which is waiting for him in the car. As soon as I open the door he throws himself on his blankie. He rubs his nose in it breathing deeply. He almost hyperventilates on the blankie. He can’t get enough and then after a few minutes he’s done, he has had his blankie fix.”

As she finished her story, a debate began on whether allowing a child to have a “blankie relationship” was okay? I tried to ensure some confidence that most kids out grow their “blankie habit” as I had by age eight or nine. I didn’t bring up the person I knew in college who had had a blankie and sucked her thumb, but then someone trumped that with a story of a “38 year-old” who still had a blankie. Wow. I suppose if you spun it the right way, you could say I have a blankie.” I have this fleece blanket I like to sleep with because my husband is a “cover hog” and sometimes I end up with none, so I use my “blankie.” After all was said, there were some mothers who were still “blankie skeptics.”

After some thought, I came to this conclusion. Why should we be surprised children become attached to blankets? Blankets become their first protection. Right after birth, babies are swaddled in them. Eventually they kick them off, but they still sleep with them. So, what if a child likes to rub a blankie on his or her face or suck his or her thumb, at least he or she has a way to self-soothe. Most kids abandon them as they mature, so why not let them have that little piece. Just like the little girl on the soccer field. A piece of Blankie Bliss.