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Our Pal Bob

ELLEN SPITZER SCOLNIC SPECIAL TO THE APPLETREE

ave 40% off Ragazzi Infant & Juvenile Furni

Visit our showroom
full of Ragazzi
infant and juvenile
furniture. Cribs,
Chests, Armoires,
Hutches, Bookcases, Desks, Chairs, & Mirrors. We also carry a great
selection of nursery accessories: Comforter sets, Mattresses, Blankets, Lamps
Window Treatments, Wallpaper, and more!

DELIVERY SERVICE • LAYAWAY PROGRAM • BABY REGISTRY

88
ea.

compare $32 - $39

off
$ off
ea. 1 ea.

SPECIA, ORDER SPECIAL ORDER

T HE A PP LE T REE

Glider Ottoman

tiow of purchase,
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photo copies not accepted.

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the unique!

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y daughter's se-
curity blanket
has become a
member of our
family. And why not? "Bobby"
has been with Jessie since the
beginning.
"Blanket" is a difficult word
for toddlers to pronounce.
Somewhere along the way the
rectangle of cloth that is the ob-
ject of Jessie's affection became
known as "bobby." We have
photos of Jessie, still in the hos-
pital incubator, wrapped in her
bobby. Only a few days old,
"Bobby" hadn't yet been en-
dowed with the restorative,
comforting, loving personality
we now know he has. Back
then he was just a woven cot-
ton receiving blanket.
Because his given name is
Bobby (yes, I've even capital-
ized it), it has become natural
for everyone in our family to
use masculine pronouns when
referring to the blanket. This
just further endows a piece of
cloth with living characteristics.
Jessie and. Bobby just be-
came a couple. We didn't do
anything to encourage it.
Granted, they're the same age.
They share all the same inter-
ests. But my husband and I are
clueless when it comes to ex-
plaining why Jessie fixated on
this particular object.
In fact, I can remember
putting a certain teddy bear in
the crib with my son every
night, hoping he would claim it
for his own "transitional ob-
ject," or "lovey," the word
child-expert Penelope Leach

uses to describe this unique
category of items. I chose a
bear because I think little boys
look cute dragging them
around.
But children are indepen-
dent thinkers, and our son
picked something else for his
"lovey" that was neither a ted-
dy nor a blanket. His special
buddy is a small, plush dog
wearing orange overalls. He
named him Woofy.
With Jessie, Bobby always
was there. We didn't encour-
age their mutually dependent
relationship. It just happened,
and by the time we realized
the depth and strength of the
feelings involved, it was too
late to pry them apart.
Now that Jessie is getting
older, we try to limit Bobby's
appearances to bedtime. But
she asks for him — "Can I go
get Bob?" — if she is scared or
tired or feeling overwhelmed.
Bobby provides immediate
comfort and reassurance in a
way that a parent can only
envy.
There is a famous piece of
parenting advice that says
whatever developmental stage
your child is having difficulty
with it will pass in time. They
won't walk down the aisle in
diapers.
Well, I don't think Jessie will
walk down the aisle with Bob-
by. I know he'll be sitting in the
first row with the rest of the
family. ❑
Ellen Scolnic is a mom and
writer living in Wynnewood,
PA.