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Bye Bye Blankie?
Ease Your Child's Blankie Blues
By CJ Johnson
Sometimes no matter how hard we try, a blankie can't be replaced. Michelle Turner of Pennsylvania knew her daughter was attached to her blankie, but when it was gone she realized how deeply her child loved it. When her daughter, Kristy, was born they gave her a cotton thermal blanket with ribbon edging. Even when she was a tiny baby she would smile when she saw it. By toddlerhood she carried it with her everywhere. It didn't take long for it to be worn down to shreds.
Turner hurt her back and had to spend a week in the hospital. While she was recuperating, her friend who was caring for Kristy determined she was too old for a blankie and threw it out with the trash. "When I walked into the house my daughter ran up and hugged me tightly, then looked up at me with her huge hazel eyes full of tears and said, 'Blankie's gone.' It tore out my heart," Turner says.
Trying to stay positive, Turner explained to her daughter that when a person gets older they get different types of blankets and took her shopping for a new comforter. She found one she liked, but once it was home and spread out, it never left her bed. Turner also bought her daughter a stuffed animal. She formed an attachment to it, but there was no true replacement for her blankie. Turner consoles herself. "I think we handled it well. Kristy was fine, but she seemed so grown up after that."