For The Love Of Plush Teddy Bears

Everyone has a childhood that varies in degrees of happiness. Some look back rather fondly at just about everything that happened to them at home, and some pretend their childhood never really happened. Some have a good amount of memories that are marred with a few bad years. Most people have a mix and can tell you both good and bad. All children love things like plush teddy bears, but to some children, they were more than just a toy.

When my mom and dad split, I did not see much of him. It was the standard every-other-weekend arrangement that most families used back then. My father loved to have us and we enjoyed our weekends with him. However, when my mom remarried some years later, that all changed. My new stepfather decided that keeping us from my dad was a just punishment for whatever we had done. That is why one of my plush teddy bears became very important to me.

On one of the weekends that my dad did have my brother and me, he took us to a store and led us down an aisle that was full of plush teddy bears and other animals. He told us each to pick the one that we wanted. It was hard, as there were many cute plush teddy bears there, but I finally picked a pink one with a butterfly on the stomach. My brother choose a blue and white one that I think he has stored away somewhere still to this day. It is old, ragged, and faded, but he saves it for his very own personal reasons.

What made these plush teddy bears special to us was that Dad bought them for us. He told us after we left the store that he is sad when we can not come, and he knows we were sad too. If we ever needed him, all we had to do was go to our plush teddy bears, hold them, and remember that he loved us. Thinking back, that was something that we both treasured then, but now I really understand what a beautiful thing that was for him to do. Having that reminder of his love was a great gift indeed.

Those plush teddy bears got a lot of hugs and love from us. When I missed my dad I would lie down and cuddle my bear, allowing it to soak up all of my tears. The very smell of the bear would remind me of my dad. Perhaps this is the biggest reason I always knew my dad loved me, even when we could not see him. I took my daughter for plush teddy bears on day too, and told her the same thing. She is with me most of the time, but it is nice to know she has that bear if she needs it.