These may be familiar scenes to many of you – a child holding tight to a blanket, clearly being comforted by the closeness.  The fancy word for this is transitional object – and they can be any object that gives a child a sense of security and comfort.  Children often attach to something in the first 2 years as a way of learning to self soothe – an important skill for emotional regulation.   My niece developed an attachment to a down vest that her mom wore and she would hold that as she fell asleep.  One of my daughters had a burp cloth that became her “night-night” which she slept with every night as a toddler and preschooler, and which eventually moved into the nightstand next to her bed (and is still there today).

For those of you who are parents or are currently expecting,

Please answer the following questions in this order and in this format.  Include the questions in your post and be sure to fully explain your answers.  You can answer these questions about your own child, another child you know, or yourself.   To make this easy, we’ll call the transitional object a “lovey” 

What is the lovey?

When is the lovey used?

Are there any special rules or rituals connected with the lovey?  For example, does the lovey have to be in any special place at night?  Does the lovey stay at home or go out in public?

Is the lovey still being used? 

Post your answers to the questions above, and respond to the students who reply to your post. Your original post must be completed before 11:59 pm on Wednesday March 3, and your responses are due before the discussion closes on Sunday March 7. Be sure you check for replies before Sunday evening!

For those of you who are not yet parents,

Reply to 2 of your classmates in a way that continues the conversation.  Your replies are due no later than 11:59 pm on Friday March 5 and I recommend that you wait until Thursday before you reply to anyone.  Please spread out your replies – if a post already has 4 replies, choose a different one. Everyone who posts should get at least one reply, and no credit will be given for a 5th or 6th reply to a post.  On this specific discussion, we sometimes run out of spots to reply so I’ll keep an eye on it and if we need to allow more than 4 replies to a post, I’ll update the instructions.