This is Blanky,a (once pink) baby blanket that had swaddled a very premature Emily!It goes most places with us.It has been rubbed by a dummy and cuddled to within an inch of it's life.It doesn't get washed.She did let my sister wash it once but she said it took ages for it to "smell" right again:-)
It's also quite useful as a kind of exercise band when watching a movie:-)
We decided a long time ago not to hasten her separation from the things that give her so much comfort and have been surprised at quite how long the love affair has lasted:-)Some have said that we are trying to keep her young by allowing her to continue with them,and we should take them away and let her grow up.I have struggled with this but have come to understand that it is not about us not wanting to cut the strings.In so many other ways Emily acts older than her years,she is not immature and I believe allowing her to have them has in fact allowed her confidence to grow because of the comfort and security she feels from them.This is about honouring Emily's need for her soothers.When she is ready she will let go of blanky and dummies. Eventually scruffy dog,the bestest dog in the world, will spend more time at home.I do get embarrassed sometimes,we get the odd strange look when at the cinema and she is sat with a dummy and blanky but that is much more about me and my concern about what others think of me as a parent than the fact Emily has a dummy or blanky because she is generally unconcerned about what others think(I have asked her if she minds me telling it on here and she said she didn't,she sat on my knee while I read through it for her and as I got to the part about honouring her need she lent in and gave me a really big hug and kiss).I do notice that if we are in the car and are passing children of her age or older she will discreetly lower her dummy and put it on her lap till we pass and she is leaving them at home more often,so she is beginning to separate from them in her own time.
I love blanky too, despite the threads ;-) because it is part of Emily.While she still gets comfort from it I will keep on holding it in my bag for her when we are out,trying to find my purse through the tangle of material that was once a blanket,I take responsibility and ensure it always comes home from whatever outing we have been on and I will carry on picking up threads numerous times a day:-)
