Which parts of the world would a pink bunny want to see?
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longgone (
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February 11th, 2023
I’m trying to help a four-year-old get through a sad period without her favourite comfort animal. She’s had “Bunny” since she was a baby, and the separation has been advised by the dentist because those pink ears are getting suckled on a lot.
I’m not entirely convinced the separation is necessary, but I’m not a dentist and not going to change any minds there anyway. What I can do is help with some magical thinking. The kid (let’s call her Sophie for a fun German reference I doubt anyone here will get) has been told by her parents that Bunny is on a vacation. So I wrote a letter from the Rabbit Island, talking about how Bunny is meeting a bunch of friends and picking flowers for Sophie. It was apparently very well received, so I’d like to mail some more of Bunny’s letters. I know from my own experience that when you’re grieving, it can really help to imagine the person you lost in a peaceful setting, feeling safe and happy. Bunny is very much a person to this kid, and I figure she’s grieving for him in a similar way. She has supportive parents, but it’s still hard on her.
Do you have any ideas? Where would he go? What would he see? What could he do? Anything I can put in the letter to enhance the experience, like pictures/flowers/anything small?
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14 Answers
I think Bunny is on Easter Island happily hopping around hiding eggs for her to find one day when she comes there to visit. It will be so fun because there is chocolate in the eggs and they can play all day in the pretty colorful straw and heart shaped candies. ♡
Is the reference to Sophie’s World??
How about she’s visiting her friends Max and Ruby by Rosemary Wells on has gone to play in the Hundred Acres Wood with Pooh and Piglet? Or stealing carrots in Mr MacGregor’s garden with Peter Rabbit?
I find it ineffably sad that any child (or adult) has to have their comfort animal taken away.
I’m bothered by the idea of the child’s having to accept that her beloved companion is having fun without her, doesn’t mind leaving her behind, and maybe has even abandoned her forever. Isn’t loss of a stuffed animal better than loss of trust in someone you love? In the long run this ruse seems cruel. Wouldn’t helping the child deal with the loss be a better life lesson than deceiving her?
@Jeruba I think it’s making something sweet out of something difficult.
I would hope that bunny would return after she grows of that phase. With lots of wonderful stories to tell!
If Bunny has any interest in visiting the Bay Area, I’d love to host her. :D
Nowhere in the world would be attractive to pink bunny without your four year old beside her. I think your dentist should restrict his advice to teeth.
I think Pink Bunny should go the way of Jimmy Hoffa. A disappearance or just the tell the child straight up. The adults should control this versus the child controlling the adult.
It is unclear what the issue is here that the dentist is stating and I do not want to assume anything. Can you offer more insight?
Find a replacement that doesn’t create the same issue. The child will get over it. They get over not having a binky and clearly can get over this.
I love that you all are feeling Sophie’s pain. I’m angry at that dentist, too. Seems to me like she’s seeing the teeth, not the whole kid. I wouldn’t be surprised if Sophie has to go back there to get a nightguard because she starts grinding her teeth from missing Bunny.
I’m looking for a better way to help. I don’t think Bunny should have been taken away (and I’ve said so to the parents. Dad agrees, Mom does not). Regardless, Bunny’s gone for a while unless I kidnap both child and rabbit.
The dentist says that the kid’s jaw shape is at risk. In fact, two dentists have said so and have prescribed speech therapy. Sophie is sucking on Bunny like she would on a pacifier. I think it’s normal and healthy for kids to self-soothe in this very natural way, and I’m pretty sure she’ll just transition to sucking on a different cuddly toy or her thumb. I don’t think it’s wise or kind to take away the comfort animal until the anxiety is more manageable. If this were my kid, I would have worked on teaching jaw-safe self-soothing skills while also trying to create a very calm and safe home. While I’m talking to the parents about this and hoping they get similar advice from their pediatrician, I want to support Sophie and reassure her that Bunny is coming back. Hence the letters, which say that Bunny is safe, loves her, and will return ASAP.
The Energizer battery factory and or head office.
Bunny needs a tour around the world.
Bunny could:
Lounge in The Blue Lagoon in Iceland.
Hike part of the Great Wall of China.
Zip line in Costa Rica.
Surf in Australia.
Hang with penguins in Antarctica.
And don’t forget an African safari.
When my daughter was about 4 she had a stuffed animal Frog named Hippie. There was no medical reasoning behind it, but I found the frog in almost every photo of her for over a year. It was there in our vacations and photos from many places all over the world.
We ended up taking it a step further and I she wanted to send wanted Hippie to travel with me to keep me company and as a reminder. Hippie photos were sent back to her from a cactus in the Grand Canyon, at cousins homes around the world, etc.
Perhaps this version of travel will help in the separation anxiety for her knowing Bunny is having fun. Eventually being reunited.
Bunny and Sophie have been reunited! There’s still an orthodontist appointment scheduled for next week (hopefully a sane doctor, I’m coming along to be the Bunny advocate). But for right now at least, Mom has given up on the terrible strategy of letting Sophie “cry it out”. It was heartbreaking :( I’m glad I spoke up, and I want to thank all of you for the support. It takes a village!
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