Security Blankets

We have a particular item in our home which is fast moving up the pecking order. To our 3 year old daughter Sophie, this item is a best friend, confidante, constant companion and fully fledged member of the household. White Blanket is his name, Sophie has insisted on this and we must address him as such. He is simply a blanket, no more special in design than any other piece of material, apart from the incredible amount of dirt that seems to hold him together.

If you ask our daughter about this rag, she will tell you that he is a boy and he is one year old - the same age as Sophie’s little brother and according to her, can do everything just a little bit better than her little brother can do it. White Blanket gets pushed around in a small plastic pram when he’s not being carried like a newborn. He is very good on the slide, and you’ve never seen another blanket perform like he does on the trampoline.

He is the ringleader of a growing group of ‘friendees’ who go to bed with Sophie every night and God help the rest of the house if he’s nowhere to be found and, until recently, used to go everywhere with the family. Over many tears and tantrums, it was decided that he stays at home and sleeps while Sophie is at Kindy. Yes, he has his own bed when he’s not cuddling with her.
Mum and Dad are only allowed to touch White Blanket if they are handing him directly to Sophie and little brother is under pain of death if he goes within 3 feet of him. Lucky for him, he’s not particularly interested. He has a raggedy pink rabbit named Ugly who is his best friend, confidante, constant companion and fully fledged member of the household ...

Most kids have a little mate that, to us adults, seems to be some sort of filthy inanimate object that needs to be washed. To our kids however, these objects are real and it’s completely ok. Their imagination is a beautiful thing and we can only hope that in adult life, our children’s friends are as loyal as the White Blankets of their childhood.

-Dave Smart