The Meaning Behind The Name of Your Child's Teddy Bear

It's Day 11 for the Ultimate Blog Challenge and our fearless leaders have suggested writing today's post involving teddy bears, so here goes:

There is one very special teddy bear that lives in our house.  He was given to my oldest son at the hospital one day after he was born from a good friend my husband was training under.  He was fluffy and pure white and stood about a foot tall.  He held a prominent place in Andy's bassinet, then crib, then first twin big-boy bed.  He quickly became Andy's go-to bear, security blanket and all-around best friend.  At 18 months old, Andy would drag this poor bear to the dinner table every night.  I said, "If this bear is going to be a true member of the family, he'll need a name.  What shall we call your bear friend, Andy?"  Andy said, with authority, "His name is MONEY BEAR!" We had no idea where this name would come from....being a resident in general surgery and an at-home-Mom, money was not an issue around the house.  We simply laughed at the name our son had selected and moved on.

For the next several years, Money Bear and Andy were inseparable; they were together in every Christmas picture, together every night and he was often dragged to the park to play on the swings and slide down the slide.

Money Bear has survived living with the three dogs who were also members of our family, although not without some considerable damage.  Our first golden retriever decided his right arm looked tasty enough for an evening treat; luckily Andy was 14 years old and was only slightly angered at this aggressive move by the family pet.

Wrigley is more curious about this special bear:






The name Andy selected all those years.....Money Bear......is special in our family history because it is so in keeping with Andy's life history to date.  He has had a special relationship with money his whole life: he is a saver, he is thrifty, he was a business/finance major at ASU Honors, he went to work for Ernst & Young and now he is attending Columbia University MBA Grad School.....specializing in real estate finance, so yes, it's still all about the money!  Some things just stick in your lifetime.  Andy knew he loved money at 18 months old and he's followed through in this interest his whole life.  I think that's very remarkable and interesting. 

I keep Money Bear in a safe spot in Andy's old room closet and may bring him out once Andy and Kim have their first child. Or maybe when Andy lands his next big job. Or, maybe I'll wait until he becomes CEO of a large company.  That could be fun and have good "embarrass-your-child" potential.  But, he will always have a place in our lives. 

So, all you young bloggers out there.....pay close attention to what your children name their teddy bears.  It might just give you some insight into their futures!