Sure, we parents may moan sometimes that our kid have nothing to complain about ... no bills to worry about, meals to cook, school activities to take care of ... but we also know that being a kid just isn't always all that easy either. Granted, that fact may only be remembered on really good days but still, the knowledge is in there somewhere!
I am a firm believer that kids are born with their personalities and it is part of our job as parents to encourage the "easier" aspects of their personalities and also to help them learn how to deal with some of the more difficult parts of themselves. My five year old is a worrier, an anxiety producing machine if you will. Yes, I will admit, she got it from me but at least I can often understand my anxieties if not actually stop them in their tracks. We have tried many ways to try to relax and let some of the worries go but bedtime remains a difficult time - just lying there with nothing but her own 5 year old mind running rampant with concerns about life or, say, dead ducks in the hallway (no idea where it came from but that caused about a week or so of absolute terror for her.
This last month I rediscovered something that I used as a child that had gotten lost in the black holes of my memory. Worry Dolls! I loved my worry dolls, the details of the handmade clothes and faces, the way I could tuck them all up in their little pouch at night, the way they made me feel more grown up than just wanting to cradle a stuffed animal. As a parent, I can now appreciate them even more for their beautiful simplicity and cultural tradition.
For those of you who are not familiar with the worry doll legend, here is a quick recap:
As the legend of the Highland Indian villages of Guatemala goes: Before going to bed tell one worry to each doll, then place them beneath your pillow. While you are sleeping, the dolls will take your worries away.
My daughter now keeps her pouch of worry dolls by her bed and is often comforted just by knowing her pals are there waiting for her worries.
Monkey Beanz is now offering a
fair trade worry doll gift set that includes a pouch of worry dolls and a hardcover copy of Anthony Browne's
Silly Billy, an adorable story that is the perfect introduction to your child's new worry dolls. You can order this great fair trade gift with or without our durable canvas fair trade shopping bag!
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