Saturday night Princess could not find her beloved KiKi. In fact we did not find it until yesterday. During the time that it was lost Princess told me that she felt that she was letting KiKi down because she promised her (Yes Kiki is a girl.) that she was going to take her to college. I silently chuckled because it is both cute and funny.
In case you did not know or figure it out, Kiki is short for Blankie.When Princess was little and was learning to talk, she would say the same syllable of longer words twice. Slippers became slip slips and Blankie became KiKi. Somehow KiKi stuck.
It is very interesting how KiKi came to be. When Princess was about 1 1/2 a friend of mine noticed that she liked to touch things. She suggested I get a yard of fleece blanket material from the fabric store, cut it into pieces and fringe the edges of each piece. The theory being that if Princess lost one piece or it needed to be washed, that I would have another piece ready to go. The problem with most theories is that real life plays out much differently. Princess become attached to KiKi and only wanted that one. When I tried to swap it out for another, she knew. She even called the other one Pretend KiKi. Suffice to say that KiKi is now like the Velveteen Rabbit only instead of fur that got rubbed off it was fleece pills that went missing. Instead of eyes that fell off, it was "arms" ie fringes that wore off. Oh how Princess has loved her KiKi!
I will tell you that KiKi is no ordinary blankie. She comforts those in distress and heals wounds. When Princess was little, she firmly believed that if you rubbed Kiki on a sore your sore would feel better instantly. KiKi has her own persona. Her sole purpose in life is to comfort others especially Princess. If someone is crying, KiKi will wipe away the tears.
Princess takes her everywhere. As she has gotten older her father and I have had to come up with some rules regarding KiKi. She is no longer allowed at school because Princess will shove her in her classmates' faces asking them to smell her. She has to stay in the car when we go into stores. Otherwise KiKi becomes a distraction to others.
Interestingly enough, when Princess is doing well, we don't see as much of KiKi. It is like she doesn't need it the more secure she is.
We have tried not to let Princess become too dependent on her. When KiKi is lost we no longer look for her as much. We encourage Princess to do that.
I am fully aware that most NT kids are not as dependent on their comfort item at age 9 but I do not feel it would be beneficial to push Princess to get rid of KiKi until she is ready to. I do believe that KiKi will one day be put away for safe keeping but she will never end up in the trash. She is like another family member.
Here's a picture of Princess's beloved KiKi.
That is one well-loved blankie. Neither of my sons showed any preferences for a blanket, but my older son has a stuffed dog named Fire Pup who has to go on trips with us. He's not as evident around the house any more. Fire Pup used to have a fireman's hat and coat, which have long gone by the wayside, and he's pretty ratty looking, but C won't give him up and is pretty miserable on trips without him.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing. My guess is that Fire Pup represents a source of security to your son but on a smaller scale than Princess's KiKi. It is interesting that Fire Pup is only needed when your family goes on a trip. It's kinda like your son needs a piece of home with him.
DeleteThanks for your reply.
This really touched me. I had a blanket when I was young and was probably about eight or nine when I was able to put it away. I have it now as a keep-sake in a box. Some of my kids have had similar things they were attached too. I never pushed them to get rid of them. When they were ready they were able to do it on their own.
ReplyDeleteSorry for not responding sooner. I just saw this.
DeleteThanks for sharing that. Princess is still very attached to her KiKi.