Quick Question
- Thread starter Hedgetrimmer
- Start date
- Joined
- Nov 10, 2009
- Messages
- 69
- Reaction score
- 14
- Location
- Santa Barbara
- Website
- www.ellenjackson.net
I would say so. Own them--yes. Be bonded with them the way a younger child is--probably not.
I passed my peak some years ago and I still "own" my first teddy bear.
Ellen Jackson
www.ellenjackson.net
I passed my peak some years ago and I still "own" my first teddy bear.
Ellen Jackson
www.ellenjackson.net
I've know some who do, but I think you are getting close to the stage where they just sit on the bed. I've known lots of girls that had stuffed animals on their beds well into their twenties.
Personally, I have a stuffed monkey for a writing buddy (though he really just criticizes my efforts), so I guess there's no upward limit.
Personally, I have a stuffed monkey for a writing buddy (though he really just criticizes my efforts), so I guess there's no upward limit.
Last edited:
Ellen, Mware, thanks for the speedy response. My character doesn't need to play with stuffed animals but simply have one on-hand. Otherwise she would have to resort to a pair of socks.
Don't ask.
Don't ask.
I have an almost 11 year old daughter who still sometimes takes her favorite stuffed animal out with us. There was a time she wouldn't leave the house without it, nor her fave blanket, but now it's just every so often.
yep! heck. I'm almost embarrased to admit this but I last owned a teddy bear when I was about 22. lol My mom finally hassled me about getting rid of it. one day i found it outside soaking wet from a thunderstorm rain. it was ruined and i was forced to throw it out. looking back i'm still mad about it. I miss that little stuffed animal. kept me company during the night and to tell you the truth I'd buy another one. that's a good idea come to think of it, maybe i should go to the store tomorrow. LOL
so yes an 9-10 year old would still own a stuffed animal. not too old.
so yes an 9-10 year old would still own a stuffed animal. not too old.
Last edited:
- Joined
- Feb 21, 2008
- Messages
- 473
- Reaction score
- 52
Absolutely! And not just Webkinz and Build A Bear animals.
My daughter is almost 11, and her room is filled with stuffed animals.
My daughter is almost 11, and her room is filled with stuffed animals.
- Joined
- Apr 21, 2007
- Messages
- 1,647
- Reaction score
- 344
- Location
- Wisconsin
- Website
- womeneverywhere.wordpress.com
I'm 19 and I still own several stuffed animals, so I still think so. And my 13 year old sister, owns way more than I do.
Thanks everyone for shedding light on this. Without kids of my own, I'm sometimes totally clueless regarding even the simplest things.
Actually, it's a good place to think through the character. Because 11 is right about the edge between little girl and teenager. So...a girl in a hurry to grow up would be getting rid of all the ones she'd collected while she was younger. A girl who's still pretty innocent would still be collecting them, but might be embarrassed to admit it to her friends. A girl who's been through a loss might cling to one special animal that reminds her of that person or place. A girl who doesn't have any issues would most likely just have them in the room because she hasn't gotten around to getting rid of them yet...but a girl without any issues is less likely to be the main character of a book...
Those are all excellent points, Judy. And my character certainly has issues. The stuffed animal, however, can't be anything special, as she's actually using it in a way that will probably get it all dirty and possibly even ripped apart. I think what I'll do is have her own a few special ones that her dead father won for her at an amusement park or something, and a "throwaway" one that she doesn't mind receiving a bit of abuse. Now I just have to come up with a reason why the stuffed animal would seem so insignificant to her.
Maybe she had a best friend, and the friend betrayed her in some way, and now she uses the animal as a means of taking out her frustrations. I hate to admit it, but I've been there.
Maybe it's too insignificant for a love/hate thing, though.
Just another idea to toss out there.
Sissy
Maybe it's too insignificant for a love/hate thing, though.
Just another idea to toss out there.
Sissy
Hey, not too bad, Sissy. I'll definitely keep that in mind, as right now I'm still coming up with a blank.
Get rid of stuffed animals? Impossible. My favorite old teddy bear is frightfully tattered and even mouse-nibbled but I could never destroy her or throw her out.
Hey, watch it...
While it's true my older son only liked stuffed animals as targets for battle (I threw them, he slaughtered them with his Power Rangers sword), my younger one has always been very sentimental and attached to his dogs. And my sister never, ever cared about stuffed animals at all. But I still have my worn-out Pluto dog hiding in my closet...
And of course, once girls start dating, then they get the new collection of animals their boyfriends win for them at carnivals and give them as presents at Valentine's Day. So if your MC were a little older, she could be very happy to destroy a stuffed animal that came from an ex.
But she's too young for that, so maybe the stuffed animal is really, really ugly, or babyish, and was a present from one of those relatives who never notices that the kids are growing up?
(Did you notice how even a simple question can turn pretty darn complicated?)
My 11 year old daughter still sleeps with her stuffed animals and while she has her favorites, I can't imagine her deliberatly destroying one, or harming one in any way- But thats just my kid
Yeah, I was just thinking the same thing. Fixing one plot hole only seems to create another one.
Sheadakota, that was an initial concern of mine. My MC is a very sentimental child and probably would be too attached to any stuffed animal she still has to risk damaging it. But I think I have it figured it.