Currently, the toy du jour for my dog Grady is a teddy bear. Cute, right? No, because the teddy bear is my daughter’s and she sleeps with it every night. Whenever she leaves her bedroom door open, Grady goes in, grabs her teddy bear with his teeth and brings it downstairs to “love” on it. He never rips the teddy bear apart. In fact, he doesn’t destroy anything he is not supposed to (well, one air pod but who can blame him?). My family quickly caught on that Grady loves soft stuffed animals. Under normal circumstances, Grady cuddling up with a teddy bear would be endearing but this teddy bear has sentimental value.

When I wanted to know more about National Teddy Bear Day, I found this on Nationaldaycalendar.com : “In 1902, American President Theodore Roosevelt refused to shoot a bear cub while hunting in Mississippi. The incident made national news. Clifford Berryman published a cartoon of the event in the Washington Post on November 16th, 1902, and the caricature became an instant classic.

The Berryman cartoon of Teddy Roosevelt and the cub inspired New York store owner Morris Michtom. He created a new toy and even had a name in mind. Michtom wrote President Roosevelt to ask permission to name the new toy a ‘Teddy Bear.’ ”

This was news to me! I had known for years that the stuffed bear was named Teddy after President Theodore Roosevelt, but until now I didn’t know it was because he would not shoot a cub. I just thought it was named after him in homage to his role as POTUS. Now that I know this information, I appreciate Mr. Roosevelt even more. He was a strong man with strong principles and yet he had a soft spot in his heart. Such a winning combination for all of mankind!

Speaking of strong men, I think it is such a coincidence that the date of National Teddy Bear Day happens to fall on my brother Tom’s birthday - September 9th. Tom is a big guy who sort of resembles a bear and when you get to know him, you’ll quickly find out that he has a giant, soft heart. He is a living teddy bear!

When it comes to National Teddy Bear Day, Nationaldaycalendar.com gives more information besides the inception of the teddy bear; there are great ideas to help celebrate the day. This type of national day is, in my book, a mixed pot of celebration styles. We can show off our teddy bear collection. We can make pancakes in the shape of a teddy bear. We can wear our favorite teddy bear shirt or hat. We can dance and sing the song Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear. We can buy a teddy bear to give as a thoughtful pinch for someone. Or we can send a simple meme, gif or image via text to someone we know who would feel the warmth when they see it. There is no right or wrong way to share thoughtfulness via the teddy bear; all ways are welcomed.

In fact, a single Pinterest search using the keywords “teddy bear” will unleash hundreds of images filled with ideas that pertain to teddy bears. If you’re like me, you’ll fall in love with many and will want to imitate the creators immediately. In perusing Pinterest, I started to remember when I received a few teddy bears that were so special to me. They were symbols of friendship and care. One that comes to mind is a gift that I received in college. A friend made me a teddy bear out of fabric that was soft blue with tiny pink flowers and a light pink bow around the neck. The gesture warms my heart even some 30 years later. I also remember giving my BFF Kristin, a teddy bear for her 21st birthday. The teddy bear was locally made and I wanted to show my appreciation for her warm friendship all those years - especially while I was away at college. Another time I gave a teddy bear as a gift is when our roomie, Klaudette, got her belly button pierced. I stuck an earring where a belly button would be on a teddy bear. I gave her the teddy bear before she went to get pierced because I knew she was nervous and that she would also be in pain for a few days. Having something to hold when we don’t feel well or are frightened is very comforting. Because of this, we gave a stuffed bear (or it could have been a unicorn) to our friend who was in hospice. I thought in her final days, she could use a friend by her side at all times. Her family was happy to see that she had it with her until she passed away. There are many more teddy bear gift moments like these but I’ll share one last one. While in search for a souvenir to bring back from my trip to London for my daughter, I was drawn to the story of Paddington and so I brought her back a tiny Paddington Bear and the book. She loved that tiny teddy bear for so many years and I still think Paddington will always have a place in our hearts because of that souvenir. I’m weeping as I remember all of these times that a teddy bear offered warmth and love.

For my teddy bear pinches, I have to confess: I put all my eggs in one basket. In preparation for this national day I had watched a video on Pinterest that instructed us on how to easily make a teddy bear using a face cloth, three tiny rubber bands and a piece of ribbon. Naturally when I watched the eleven second video I thought this would be a cinch! I imagined making a bunch of wash cloth teddy bears to give out as pinches this year on National Teddy Bear Day.

In the end, it ‘s not about how we celebrate National Teddy Bear Day on September 9th. Offer support while being soft and huggable - now that’s endearing! Just remember that we can be strong like a bear and yet have a compassionate heart at the same time. Thanks for your example Mr. Teddy Bear Roosevelt.

Pinches,
Barb