NOTICE
a
I WISH I KNEW HOW TO QUIT YOU, BLANKIE
by Malinda Osborne
CUDDLY BUDDIES AROUND THE WORLD
Sixty percent of American children have at least a mild degree of attachment to a soft, inanimate object some time during their life. Thirty-two percent exhibit strong attachment. The incidence of attachments to soft objects in the Netherlands, New Zealand,
and Sweden is comparable to that in the United States. Korean children have substantially fewer attachments to blankets (18 percent) than do American children. Only 5 percent of rural Italian children have transitional objects, compared to 31 percent of urban Romans and 62 percent
of foreign children living in Rome. However, just 16 percent of London's children have a special security object.
Source: Gale Encyclopedia Childhood and Adolescence - Study conducted by Richard H. Passman
why we can't say good night to that bastion of childhood, the security blanket
Excitedly entering her dorm room for the first time last fall, Maggie Gremminger's jaw dropped when she saw a tattered stuffed dog with floppy ears and
"I looked at my roommate," she says, "and we both freaked out and screamed because we had the same stuffed animal we were kids."
button eyes on her roommate's bed. The Shawnee freshman asked her dad if he had brought Mutsie. He hadn't.
same stuffed animal from when we were kids."
University of Michigan professor of psychology
"We all need something to get us through the night."
— Gary Stollak.
At some point, most of us couldn't fall asleep without something soft and comforting like a stuffed animal, blankie or pillow. But what of those who continue to curl up with their Mutsies throughout college? Psychologists say the practice is perfectly normal and more prevalent than it seems.
Security objects are items, usually soft and easily held or carried, that offer a child comfort. Typically they are used during bedtime to facilitate sleep or as a coping mechanism to help children deal with new situations.
Frank DeSalvo, director of Counseling and Psychological Services, says that we all have reminders that comfort us, and having a specific item to evoke those feelings is not an uncommon practice. This behavior may be viewed as childish, but it's really an issue of how a person finds comfort.
Attachments to various objects are typical during the first five years of life, but psychologists debate whether children should outgrow the need for security objects.
"The item provides emotional support and confidence. It also
Most adults have comfort possessions, though they may not be as sentimental as a stuffed animal. It could be a high school award that is a reminder of proven abilities. DeSalvo says.
can provide inspiration," he says.
Julianne Kueffer, Leawood junior, still has the baby blanket her grandmother crocheted for her. She says she sleeps better
when she has the blanket. She still takes it with her when she goes out of town.
People who sleep with security objects typically can go until college before they're made fun of by others, says Gary Stollak.
He compares an adult who want a comfort object to those who have a lifelong fear of spiders or heights — the feelings don't just go away.
professor of psychology at the University of Michigan. He says the problem begins when they live with strangers.
A blanket or pillow can provide great emotional support for those making the transition to college, Stollak says. For many, it is the first time to leave home for an extended time. Bringing a childhood relic can help alleviate homesickness. In fact, Stollak says those who feel they have to give up their dolls or blankies are more likely to start drinking alcohol as a coping mechanism.
"We all need something to get us through the night." Stollak says. "If it's a blanket or doll, then so be it. What gives us comfort should not be seen as immature."
"it's hard enough to get through college, let alone life, and people need something to comfort them during this time of transition," Stollak says.
Gremminger didn't bring Mutsie to school because she thought it would be considered dorky by others, she says. At first she felt guilty, as if she were leaving behind an old friend. The encounter with her roommate, however, reassured her that she wasn't the only one who needed a stuffed animal. By the end of the week, Gremminger had retrieved her beloved Mutsie
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