To Lovie, or not to Lovie....That is the Question...

There is a new debate sparking a divide in our house these days...to "Lovie" or not to "Lovie." Next to whether or not syrup should be kept in the refrigerator after opening, this debate is pretty much the most impassioned in recent (or not so recent) history.

So, what is this "Lovie" I speak of? Oh, you know the one... For some it is a rag-tag blankie with various stains on it that you try not to think about being in the crib with your little one...much less them chewing on the corner of during nap-time. For some it is a long eared bunny blanket that was once pink and white, but these days is more a trendy pink and grey theme...she may or may not smell of various baby (or pet) aromas and she may or may not have all of her original appendages.

For Sweet R, the later has been our reality since she was about 9 months old. Our stellar creativity has resulted in her being named...wait for it..."Pink Bunny" and we live in fear of it going missing. I am talking Zombie Apocalypse level fear. We have had some close calls in the past...not limited to baby being dropped on train-tracks before an oncoming train and baby being stuck in a locked washing machine that we simply could not get open. Not to mention all the break-downs that have gone down when PB was simply taking a "bath" and mommy or daddy failed to time it appropriately for Sweet R's nap time. Big parenting fail... Seriously though, when we get in the car to go anywhere, I often look first to be sure we have PB....then I ensure that my children a buckled in appropriately (go ahead...judge away...)

In the past, we have tried to provide a stunt-double PB for things like pre-school naptime or long flights, but we were quickly met with protest....silly us. Surely we know better than to try and fool a 15 month old. She knew the difference instantaneously and as she literally threw the imposter back in our face, she shook her head as if to say, "How insulting...."

With R nearing 4 years old,  we ask ourselves daily when the magic age is that PB will be placed in a nice decorative box and packed away for future grandchildren. Occasionally, we ask R the same question and are met with a look that simply says, "You best be prepared to pay room and board for my floppy eared friend when college comes calling..." Awesome. Nonetheless, PB, has been there for us and made many a day easier with her magical ability to soothe our tiny dancer on the roughest of toddler days. She has been worth her weight (times 1000) in gold or yen or bouillon (whatever is more valuable these days)!

Just last week, Little Dude B has decided that he too has found his first true love. It's name is "Night Night" (a few more creativity points?). NN is the blanket that has been in his crib for the past 3 months or so and like a reality TV Bachelor, he has fallen hard and fast for this particular textile. We're talkin' won't sit at the table without it, dragging it around like Charlie Brown's friend, sleeps with his body curled around it, kind of love. And only if I manage to hide it from him at least 20 minutes before we leave the house, can we get into the car without this cotton-blend friend coming with us.

Did I mention, it is a LOT bigger than R's floppy eared friend? Even more surface area to pick up the filth of the outside world.

My love/hate with NN tends to lean more toward love....after all, it is adorable when he calls for "Night Night" and let's face it, it has stopped more than one melt-down dead in its tracks. My husband however, has yet to find the "love" component of the relationship. He sees the constant washing that will be needed, the prying it out of his hands when we need to make him presentable in public, and the inevitable disaster mode that will ensue when we accidentally leave it somewhere out of our grasp. I totally get it....I do.

But what do you do? The security of a "lovie" is something that every child deserves, but there truly is no reasoning with them when their material friend is in question. I can see "Night Night" now...sprawled carelessly across Little Dude's extra-long twin in his college dorm beneath a few ramen wrappers and energy drink cans....(at least those are the "college life" artifacts that I choose to envision in my son's room....). And then carefully tucked away in his honeymoon luggage when he heads off the Bora Bora with the 2nd true love of his life....

Do your kiddos have a "lovie"? Have you already managed to ease them away from it? At what age? Tell me more...lord knows I am gonna need some help on this one!