Blog #482: The Importance of Stuffed Animals to Neurodivergent Individuals

…

I’m sure that many of you are familiar with the comedy film “Ted” (2012), it’s sequel “Ted 2” (2015) and its prequel tv series on Peacock. The franchise is centered around the stuffed teddy bear Ted and his owner/friend, John Bennett (Mark Wahlberg) and the adventures that they go through in life whether its through school like in the prequel series or adulthood in the films. Sure there’s plenty of foul language, but it’s the relationship between Ted and John that is the crux of the franchise.

But the reason I bring up something like “Ted” is not just because it’s a great franchise, but also it empathizes the importance of stuffed animals to neurodivergent adults. In this day and age where everyone is judged for who they are without any evidence to back them up, most people tend to forget that you never grow out of having stuffed animals in your life. In fact, most people think that stuffed animals are just for little kids, which is not true.

Being a neurodivergent individual myself, I still sleep with my stuffed animals including a rabbit named Jemima that I have had since I was born. I also have plenty of stuffed animals and plushies that I got from all the Brony Conventions I attended over the course of six years. You might say that having stuffed animals/plushies of favorite characters gives me a sense of not just security, but also of pride. Remember that the foundation of Going the Distance rested on the Brony conventions that served as a training ground for my practice as a public speaker and trainer.

When I mention that I have stuffed animals in my apartment, there might be some people who say that “Jeff, you need to grow up.” Fortunately, I have never been told that and I hope to never be told that.

The same could also be said for some of my other colleagues and peers in the community.

One of my colleagues battled cancer and during the treatments, he had a stuffed Cookie Monster at his side. Did anyone judge him for having a stuffed Cookie Monster at his side during the treatments? Absolutely not.

Another colleague of mine has dozens of stuffed animals, including a Woodstock plushie that cheers her up. Does anyone judge her for having a stuffed Woodstock amongst other things? Absolutely not.

…

The truth of the matter is that neurodivergent individuals value stuffed animals as one of their own and it is hard for some people to accept the fact that if you see someone with a stuffed animal in public, you are ridiculed and shamed for having something that gives you comfort during very difficult times.

I mean, think about it, you could have someone with a plushie in a public center and rather than being judgmental, think about the reasons why they have that plushie in public. They could be neurodivergent, they could have mental health issues such as anxiety, they might also find stuffed animals to be better at having a conversation than most people.

…

The truth of the matter is that neurodivergent individuals embrace stuffed animals as one of their own whether others around them like it or not. If you are going to have a problem with seeing someone holding a stuffed animal in public, just think about what goes through the mind of the individual holding that stuffed animal. In fact, I have stuffed animals with me at conventions and conferences because they are part of not just the decoration, they give me comfort when I give my presentations and trainings or when I am having a bad day.

I’m sure that some of you reading this will feel the same way about stuffed animals as well as I do.

…

Catch you all later!!