Learning to cope with a loss is an important- nay critical- skill that children must learn. Over protective parents do their children no favors by putting off this and other difficult but essential life lessons.

Until now, I believed this was done out of a shortsighted concern for their child's welfare. Now I read that some parents do it out of selfishness- a heart broken child is so tedious.

When your child loses a toy or a soccer game or has a fight with a friend- when anything bad happens- that is when your child needs you the most. That is when you should be teaching them how to look adversity in the eye and continue on.

Very well said. We need to teach children that life is filled with loss - of loved ones and contests - and how to deal with both. Maybe we need to teach adults that too.

Life will teach children loss on its own. Stuffies help kids deal with reality. My daughter, age 11, still has her Po that sleeps with her, and, like me and my Tigger, she will probably keep Po forever. Not so with her family members, as time has taughter her. Her grammy, great grammy, great-great aunt, great aunt, 3 great uncles, a cat, two dogs..they've taught her very well about loss.

But Po's still here.

Good ol' Po. I passed Brownie down to my niece.