ABOUT US!
Story behind Blushbottoms
How a little bear and a big heart are helping children everywhere feel loved, valued, and enough just as they are.
Blushbottoms was born out of my own journey with adoption and the search for a sense of belonging. As a child, I often wrestled with questions of where I fit and whether I was truly enough. When my adoptive parents gave me a stuffed bear named Blushbottoms, it became a symbol of comfort and love during those moments of uncertainty.
Years later, I realized that countless children, especially those in foster care or adoption, share those same questions. Blushbottoms became more than a stuffed bear; it became a story, a reminder, and a promise that family is not defined by what it looks like, but by the love and connection we share.
The book, Blushbottoms: The Belonging Bear, was written to help children see that they are special, loved, and whole just the way they are. With each story and every plush bear, my hope is that Blushbottoms carries forward the same comfort and reassurance I felt as a child that true belonging is always possible.
“Meet Sean & the Bear Who Started It All”
From a foster child’s hope to a symbol of love and belonging, discover how Blushbottoms is spreading comfort, joy, and the message that every child is enough.”
I’m Sean Thomas Goddard, a psychiatric nurse practitioner, speaker, and author. Long before I stepped into those roles, though, I was a child in foster care, searching for stability, love, and a sense of belonging.
During my very first meeting with my adoptive parents, they gave me a stuffed bear. That bear became Blushbottoms. From that day forward, Blushbottoms wasn’t just a toy — it was a symbol of safety, love, and the hope that I had finally found a place to belong.
As I grew older, that bear and the meaning it carried stayed with me. I built a career in mental health, working every day to help others find healing, resilience, and connection. Yet I never forgot how much a simple gesture, a gift at just the right moment, could change a child’s life.
That’s why I created Blushbottoms: The Belonging Bear. It’s more than a children’s book and plush toy. It’s a way to tell children everywhere, especially those in foster care or adoption, that they are enough just as they are, and that belonging isn’t about perfection — it’s about love and connection.
With every story shared, every plush given, and every donation made, I hope that Blushbottoms carries forward the same comfort and reassurance I felt all those years ago.
