A brown, stuffed bear rests on a king-sized bed, watching as an adult packs up their ever-changing room. The bear waits hopefully to be tossed into a box because it isn’t ready to stop watching this adult grow up. Little does the bear know, the adult isn’t ready to part ways either.
“I actually don’t know where [my teddy] came from,” London Raftery (‘25) said. “[He] just kind of appeared, and then he became my number one stuffed animal, but [he’s] just always been there.”
Like Raftery’s teddy, many childhood mementos appear at birth or are obtained at random.
“[I’ve] had my blanket since I was born,” Ella Snyder (‘25) said. “So, approximately 17 years.”
Mementos come in all different shapes and sizes. Some are stuffed animals, while others are blankets.
“My childhood memento is a blanket,” Snyder said. “My blanket’s name is ‘Blankie.’”
Names serve as an important developer of a child’s memory, according to My Baby’s Hearing. This explains why children name their toys, even if it isn’t very creative.
“His name is Curly Bear because he’s a bear,” Raftery said. “When I was little, he used to have really curly fur. Now he does not because he’s old.”
Both Snyder and Raftery will graduate from AGHS this year, but both have different ideas about where their memento will end up.
“He’s coming with me [to college],” Raftery said. “He’s getting a whole new wardrobe, a bunch of new ribbons because he’s got a blue ribbon around his neck. We’re gonna bring some more so he can be dressed up for the dorm, but he’s coming with [me].”
While Raftery expressed her enthusiasm for bringing Curly Bear to college, Snyder expressed her hesitance.
“[Blankie will] probably stay at [home] because I don’t use it to fall asleep every night,” Snyder said. “I just have it to recall the good old days, but it will stay, I believe, in my stuffed animal/blanket basket.”
While Raftery and Snyder contemplate the future of their mementos as well as their own, AGHS alumni Quinlin Gallagher (‘24) keeps both her mementos with her at Cal Poly SLO.
“I’ve had my memento since the day I was born,” Gallagher said. “My grandma made me a baby blanket that is purple mink on one side and quilted on the back. The quilted design has changed over the years with wear and tear, and I actually need to give it back to her now so she can fix up the edge.”
Gallagher’s blanket has been with her since the day she was born, but her grandma made another one specifically for college.
“I did bring my [blanket] to college,” Gallagher said. “My grandma actually made me a much larger quilt when I graduated, but that stays at my home, and I use it as a couch blanket. I can’t part with my original one.”
Unlike Snyder and Raftery, Gallagher has two childhood mementos—her baby blanket and a Jessie doll, from Disney Pixar’s Toy Story.
“I’ve had my Jessie doll since I was five, and we’ve been inseparable ever since,” Gallagher said. “Once, in fourth grade, I left her in a hotel in Anaheim and didn’t sleep until we got her shipped back.”
The doll is so important because it holds significance to Gallagher’s childhood personality.
“Jessie has always been my favorite Pixar character, and my grandparents knew that and got me a doll of her,” Gallagher said. “It’s silly, but she’s really been with me through thick and thin. If I don’t know where she is with me in the bed, I won’t be able to sleep.”
Things kept from childhood help people maneuver through life and can hold reminders of their innocence.
“I feel like [having my bear is] a comfort thing, [and also] I don’t remember a time where I didn’t have it,” Raftery said. “It’s not like I need it every night to go to sleep, but when I have it, I’m peaceful, [and] I can sleep. But, I honestly just feel like it’s little London’s thoughts. [That] teddy bear was so important, and I feel like keeping it and hanging onto that is like remembering [young] London.”
Growing up can be tough, but having mementos to remind you of the simpler times may serve as helpful tools to make growing up a little easier.
