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 can’t sleep without mine. He goes on any overnight trip. He travels in hand luggage so I don’t have to worry about my check in luggage getting lost with him inside. He’s seen me through terrible times. You can be a grown up and have a beloved soft toy. Don’t ever feel you shouldn’t have one.

I still sleep with my baby blanket. What's left of him, poor thing.

How 🤔 would anyone react if a new man in your life you were dating saw your Teddy bears and he reacted by laughing at you making fun of this new find about you and being a bit or quite or very judgemental about you possessing any soft toys then?

Is it possible a litmus test a possible red flag if a new man 👨 is judgemental at all about you having any soft toy?

or
Does it depends possibly in some way and what factor can this be then?

Would you hide them from the guy who you were seeing until you were comfortable within your relationship to say or show them then?

I have four teddy bears, including a Paddington bear that I recently treated myself to. 😃😃

I don't take them out with me, but do have a Donald Duck on the back seat of my car.

Don't charity shop your furry friends. 😲

How 🤔 would anyone react if a new man in your life you were dating saw your Teddy bears and he reacted by laughing at you making fun of this new find about you and being a bit or quite or very judgemental about you possessing any soft toys then?

I reckon that’s a very good test. DP loves teddy and I’ll often come home to find he’s propped him up with a mobile phone and a notebook and pen and instructions not to disturb him as he’s just finalising a business deal. Or I’ll find him ‘reading ‘ a book or on a cushion facing the window, ‘doing speed checks’ 🫣. When I first met him, how he reacted to teddy was very telling as to what sort of person he might be.

I fought against this for years then in an Avon catalogue was a teddy bear but with a use. It had pockets where I could put my remote control and my tv magazine! Later on whilst browsing Amazon I saw a soft toy cat, actually from Disney Cinderella. The cat owned by her step mum and was called Lucifer. Such a cute evil little face! Had to get it!

I have in the past owned Trolls - the Damm ones.

Is it possible a litmus test a possible red flag if a new man 👨 is judgemental at all about you having any soft toy

It would be a red flag to me. I'm generally of the opinion of live and let live, as long as you're not harming anyone. So anyone being judgy of something like owning a soft toy, is not the kind of person I want to be in a relationship with.

That being said, it's never been an issue for me. I have a Hello Kitty that lives on the sofa and 2 of my exes used to hug her sometimes while we were watching TV or whatever 😂

Glad you rescued him.
I had a favourite toy rabbit from birth. She wore a red gingham dress. My mother thought she had got too dirty & wouldn’t wash so one day when I was five she threw her into the fire. I howled the place down for days. Never had a teddy bear but always wanted one, making up for it now though 😁

@Darklane

Ah Darklene how 🤔 could your mum do something like that,?

have you forgiven her yet then?

Maybe the baby is called Ally/Ali?

Good heavens I don't think I would have recovered 😂
I like a soft toy. I allow my kids to have them even though they are dust traps. We have lots of them and I'm always tripping up on them. Sigh.
I have one that says best mum next to my bed.
My favourite one as a kid played lullabies and I don't know what happened to it. I pulled both eyes off it, not quite sure why. God I loved that teddy.

Teddies are for life not just for childhood! Don't ever grow up as far as your furry friends are concerned 😊

I had a bunny rabbit from when I was 6 until well into my forties and would still happily have her if an accidental fire hadn't taken her.

My 70 odd year old mum has soft toys in her bedroom and they are much beloved.

We have a family bear, I lovingly refer to him as my favourite child.

The dog is definitely real! X😄

Thank God. I thought I was losing more brain ability!

Why on earth do you need to get rid of them? You're fond of them and they are in your home.

I have a dozen soft toys, from my Mum's and my teddy bears through fabric cats she made when I was little, to a fluffy cat that sat around in my last job (not mine, a couple of the blokes there had it, I just took it home when we were closed down), others I bought as souvenirs and a uniformed teddy bear the St John's Ambulance gave me in thanks for a donation. Why get rid of things that have pleasant memories or associations just because they're toys?