Not all young people get 'transitional objects'

Lots of the young people we work with have missed out on many things in early life. Things that help or hinder attachments and separations. Have a read of THIS article and see if you can make sense of some of the behaviours that people you work with show.

“Where’s your baby?” said the mother to her sobbing 3-year-old daughter. “You need your baby!”

Her older daughter began digging through the two large diaper bags, and triumphantly extracted a fuzzy pink blanket. The 3-year-old grabbed the blanket and tucked it up under her chin, gripping it tightly. “There’s your baby!” the mother and the older sister said in unison. The crying subsided, and we went on with the medical exam.

So-called transitional objects — beloved blankets, tattered stuffed animals, irreplaceable garments — are frequent in the pediatric exam room. Some children clutch them to ease the stress of being examined or immunized, while others simply never leave the house without their favorites. Ask any small group of parents about transitional objects — or blankies, or lovies — and you’ll get a good story, usually of a precious item misplaced or lost at some critical juncture.