Child Security Blanket ConcernNEW by: Laura Ramirez
Dear Roberta,
You are right to be concerned about your grandchildren's reliance on their security blankets. Children who grow up in homes where there is a lot of conflict or drama and even kids who are hypersensitive to what happens in their environment often place their sense of security in external objects. When these objects are left behind, children can become anxious, agitated and even act out.
Rather than request that they quit their reliance on the blankets cold turkey and leave them home, do a little exercise with them. Since they love spending time at your home, this should be fun for all of you. Have them hold their blankets and ask them to sit quietly, close their eyes and think about how the blanket makes them feel. Underscore their feelings of peace and security.
Next, ask them to take a deep breath and imagine that their blanket is now inside their hearts, protecting them and keeping them safe and secure. This is their inner blanket and it will always be with them to keep them safe. Underscore the sense of safety that the inner blanket provides. When you put them to bed at night, help them to imagine their inner blankets to help them fall asleep.
This will help them to internalize their sense of safety, so you can wean them off the need to use external objects. Since the inner blankets are always with them, it will empower them in a way that physical objects cannot.
Thanks for being such a caring, insightful grandma. Your grandchildren are fortunate to have you in their lives.
