Was the book a book that you read to her a lot? And was the toy one you gave her? It could have reminded her of you, and since you weren't there right away and those two items were, she grabbed those.

The book was one we'd recently borrowed from the library, and it didn't seem to be one that was special to Charissa. I asked her afterwards why she'd picked up those items, and she responded with a typical non-explanatory kid answer: "Because I wanted them."

what i find more curious and interesting is your response to the situation. i have a feeling that this is one of those times that youre overanalyzing the situation because the fact that it is your own child in that situation. i guess its completely normal, because its only natural for a parent to feel that way (not that id know, but id imagine so) im kind of guessing that had it been any other child, you probaby would not have taken much notice if he/she were holding onto something or not. ive always wondered about the strong bond made between a parent and their child, and how it can vary so much from parent to parent, and how in some cases, it can be so powerful. its a really interesting concept to think about.

but in response to what i think, i think that its some sort of mechanism to calm the baby and soothe the baby of their burdens. its interesting to think that perhaps children have way more to offer than at face value, and in fact have a much deeper level of emotion than anyone would imagine or notice, including themselves. we all have our own ways of coping with things that upset us or things that causes discomfort, and it can change with different situations. sometimes we turn to people for support, sometimes we just take time off for ourselves. with them being children, i dont know if they really think that far ahead, and instead they just try to find "fast relief" sort of thing, basically, whatever is close by. im guessing that it comes to show that even though it doesnt seem like it, children have a really strong sense of comfort within a certain realm, one that they can relate to or are familiar with, perhaps. im not sure, really.

i remember reading about a case study in my evolutionary anthropology book about a monkey that was raised with two fake parents. basically, there were doll parents that would replace actual parents, with one that was there for comfort, and one to feed the baby monkey. the results showed that the monkey usually clung to the comfort parent for support, especially when it was put under some sort of stress. it would seldom stay on the feeding parent, and would often keep atleast a limb on the comfort parent when feeding. perhaps there is some sort of tie between these two situations...

Jackery, we meet again :) Hi! I just learned of your xanga and this entry is definitely something that you could sit and ponder for awhile. Psychoanalysis is a favorite pastime of mine. Nonetheless, I have a simple suggestion, sometimes when you're in pain you just reach out and grab things. I may not be 5, but at the age of 22 i am not ashamed to say that when i'm stressed or upset, i have a tendency to grip things nearby. If its at night - blankies, pillows. At work - pens, my hair. Even my cell phone or clothes, on occasion.

As a side note, i rarely xanga/blog, but am forced to at work (www.freethechildren.com) for a somewhat-forced picture of my thoughts