I read an article in a parenting magazine saying parents should allow their boys to keep their lovie’s or bankies even up until 8 or 9. I’m going to send his article to my younger brother who’s in his 30s and his 3-year-old daughter is teasing him about his still-present attachment to his blankie.

He is in good company. Every one of my grandmother’s 42 grandchildren and 40-somthing great-grandchildren possess one of these almost-holy fabric hugs. Some, like my brother, wore them out with love and my Grandmother stitched them replacements.

A feminine skill passed from one generation to the next …read more