I'm an adult ... but I own a teddy bear! (Light-hearted (ish!))

[Goneforaride]

I'm an adult, fully functioning female. Retired from a professional job, but with a good social life, active hobbies, a dog, an unwell DH to care for (vascular dementia plus other health issues), a home to look after and all the usual life admin and other stuff going on.

So, I have come on an anonymous on-line forum to confess that I own several stuffed toys - teddy bears, a fluffy sheep, a fluffy unicorn and other kids toys which I am very fond of and which I have no intention of parting with any time soon. Some of them live in our spare room - the space where I keep my clothes etc, and some of them live in my little home office - the place I used to use to wfh before I retired, and which remains my little retreat from the rest of the house.

I know I really need to grow up and consign them all to the local charity shop, but can anyone make me feel a bit better about this awful confession, and tell me they too have a fluffy little pal that just won't part with?

I'm exactly the same. I think it would be quite strange for an adult to be schlepping around the supermarket cuddling a teddy bear, but why ever would it be 'wrong' to keep your furry little friends at home?

If you're going to get rid of your treasured teddies that hold such memories of a (hopefully) lovely childhood that is now no longer your reality, why don't you also get rid of all of your baby photos too? After all, you don't look that way anymore, so you could ask what's the point in keeping them?

Memories matter hugely to me.

Why would you need to "grow up" and get rid of them?

I am a professional woman with a successful career, and I have several furry friends to whom I am incredibly attached. None of them are going anywhere!

Honestly, when I'm feeling shit at the end of a really tough day, few things are as comforting as my raggedy old bear. He wouldn't win any beauty contests, but he's mine and he makes me feel better.

I couldn't give a toss what anyone else might think about it!

Prince Andrew has a large collection of teddy bears. The staff have a picture showing how they need to be arranged on the bed. Apparently if they’re slightly out of order he goes berserk, now that is weird.

I had a few special teddies in my 20s. XH was a dick about me having teddies and then when DC came along they co-opted them all. I now have some new one's Ive collected since separating from XH. My DD really loves these things called squish mallows and they're delightful to hug, so I've bought a few. My teddy collection is expanding again now there's no one around to make fun of it. They're comforting and cute and I dont care what anyone else thinks.

Why do you need to send them to the charity shop? I'm an adult (in my 50s) and have a professional role at work. But my house, well it has more than a few cuddly toys hidden away!

I was a big collector of Hello Kitty stuff so have numerous soft toys, but also house things like saucepans, teapot etc. I do the adult lego sets and have a few of those on display. I have some jigsaws glued and framed on the walls. But then my whole house is maximalist which isn't to a lot of peoples taste anyway.

If someone comes to the house it's either a stranger, as in a workman or whatever, and why would I care what they think? My family know me, so they just accept it. Any friends who would judge, wouldn't really be my friend!

I love my house and I'm the one who lives in it, so that's all that matters. If you love your cuddly toys, keep them! Sounds like things are tough for you at the moment so if they bring you some comfort, don't get rid of them.

I share my home office with my Jellycat cloud, plant and doughnut. Who needs colleagues when you can see their little smiley faces?! So I'd say it's fine.

I had a family of three bears that I loved but last move the mam and dad bear were donated to charity shop and I kept the baby only. I also have a memory bear made from my dad’s polo shirts which is treasured for obvious reasons.

I did have a really old and loved bear from childhood but our patterdale ripped its face off when he was a puppy

I've still got my beloved popple (showing my age there). My dds have adopted my other teddies

I have a good few on my bed. Don't care what anyone thinks and I am a nearly 40 year old woman with a job and who is on the whole, normal. Whatever normal is these days.
I am single but if anyone judged me for it then they know where the door is.

I have several bears and other stuffies, some are mine and some are my cats. I also have many other things that people would consider childish but that I enjoy. Absolutely no shame in it.

I made my husband buy me a soft toy just yesterday when we were out and about (a character from a children’s book that shares my nickname 🤣)

I love a good jellycat! DD bought me a jellycat donkey who is very loveable.

I have a big teddy bear who is about 3 feet tall who normally sits on the bed in the spare room. This morning I went in there and found him sitting at the desk with his paws on a puzzle I am halfway through! That cheered me up before going to work.

I'm the same, but it's four soft rabbits. I also have my farm and Noah's ark sets!

I have my old teddy from childhood (threadbare now) and a teddy DH bought me for the first birthday i had when we were dating - it had a beautiful bracelet on it's arm 😊 (to be honest i was equally thrilled with the ted ! )

I also have
https://www.jellycat.com/odette-ostrich-ode2o/

who i saw in a shop and i just couldn't resist !

That would make me very happy.

Secretly, I still believe at some level that my furry friends are somehow alive and have feelings. This is one reason why I could never take them to the charity shop... the guilt would be too much!!

I have a dozen or more from when I was a baby/small child. I have a few the DC bought me for Mother's Day or birthday over the years. I've also got one I bought myself from Eurodisney a couple of years ago. And most of them are ontop of 2 chest of drawers in my bedroom.

Never too old for cuddly toys!

Oh, and my middle aged DP has one on his bedside table I bought him for valentines a couple of years ago!

I have loads of cuddlies. I sleep better with one!

I'm 53 and unapologetically still have my childhood comfort blanket . ..

I've still got some childhood teddies, ones that have been given to me in adulthood and a couple that were my mum's.

I have no intention of getting rid of them. It's not childish to have them or even enjoy them. They are all part of the narrative of my life - the ones I didn't like/want to keep aren't. End of.

I don't really understand why we have to 'grow out' of certain things 🤷‍♀️
I enjoy Disney, HP, toilet humour, etc. and it doesn't make me less of an adult or immature to have a broad interest. Equally, I don't like opera or ballet or chamber music.

If you think this is weird wait until you hear about some of the other stuff he's done.

No shame on it at all. I still have my childhood ted. And my DH can’t go into charity shops because it makes him too sad to see all the orphaned teds inside. 😢

That makes me sad too. My DS asked if I felt like the teddies were real like he does, not in the same way we are, but real in some way. I kind of do, love makes them real somehow and they have different personalities in my mind too.

We are all stuffed animal hoarders in our house. 15 year old DS has a mouse that he had since birth that he takes (hidden) with him if hes going away overnight. DH collects Monsters Inc characters and I have a whole room of Barbie and similar dolls. We get the odd rude comment but there are worse things we could collect!

I sleep with a teddy at the grand old age of 55! And a big blanket.

I am single. Teddy is so much more comfort than my cheating, abusive exh!