Monday Memory: The Silly Hat

I love this ridiculous blue hat.

I usually think Lana looks pretty dang adorable in about anything, but this hat just gets me. Lana received it as a Christmas present from my mom when she was eighteen months old. Lana didn't have much (if any) hair at that time and we were always covering her bald head to keep it warm in the winter. Little Lana had worn hats since birth and was used to such treatment. I think my mom seriously wondered if Lana was EVER going to get hair and maybe this fluffy, bold, and hairy hat would get things progressing.

Well, I can't say the blue hat got Lana's hair growing, but I can say it was easily Lana's favorite bald-head cover-er. In fact, it became more than just a hat - it became her security blanket. Some kids have a well-loved stuffed animal or baby blanket that calms and soothes, Lana had the Silly Hat. On road trips when she fought taking a nap, I'd have her hold the hat to get calmed down and fall asleep. When we visited new daycare facilities, she'd keep it on while playing with the new kids in the new space. The picture above was taken at the town Easter Egg Hunt. It was no longer stocking cap weather, but Lana just wanted to wear it because it was comforting and safe in a foreign environment. She never minded that her hat got her several long looks and finger points; she only knew that the hat made her feel good and she was going to keep it on. Dan and I also never minded what others thought. If  the Silly Hat made a tough thing easier, by all means we let her wear the Silly Hat.

Lana's grown and matured a lot since the Silly Hat days. We still have it and will pull it out again this winter, but it will serve the exclusive purpose of head-warmer. Lana has all the confidence she needs to face new situations without it now, and I'm grateful to that ridiculous blue hat for helping her through some rough months. I know developmentally toddlers go through a lot at 18-24 months and that time can be pretty tricky. Parents of teenagers, tell me - should I save the Silly Hat for the middle school years too? I hear those years are even trickier.