Can laity "bless" others or things in the gesture a priest does?

[AltarSoldier]

In my memories of the past, my grandmother sometimes on rare occasions give us the sign of the cross with her thumb on our forehead whenever we were going somewhere or going back home. Also Mother superior nuns would do the same or take their rosary and bless their sisters. Is it intrinsically wrong, or maybe not encouraged for anyone not a priest or bishop to bless in this manner? I have a crucifix on my desk that I like to keep by my bedside. Recently I’ve been in the habit or making the sign of the cross over my bed invoking the name of the Trinity, Virgin Mary and the intersession of my guardian angel to chase away any demons or evil spirits so that I don’t find myself tempted to think impure things or get tempted to do or see anything that is immodest.

 

[HomeschoolDad]

I see nothing wrong with any of this. Parents are permitted (even encouraged) to bless their children, and I have to think this would extend to grandparents, or even to Mothers Superior. As far as “blessing” anything else, the only caveat I would add, is that you need to be calling down God’s blessing upon, in this case, your bed, which is something just a little different from blessing it yourself. This is similar to calling down God’s blessing upon food at a meal.

 

[Tis_Bearself]

Parents can bless their children, and we can bless each other, with the understanding that it is not a blessing coming from us, as in “I bless you” but rather we are calling God to bless each other. A priest or deacon can do an “I bless you” because they are ordained clergy with the power to bless. Laypeople don’t have that power.

I am in a prayer group where as we leave, each person blesses the next person in line with holy water, but we say, “May God Bless You in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit” so it is God blessing the person, not me blessing the person.

If you want to bless something like food or your bed, I would say a prayer asking God to bless whatever it is, similar to the Grace before Meals that goes, “Bless us O Lord, and these they gifts…” asking God to bless us and the food.

 

[ReaderT]

In my memories of the past, my grandmother sometimes on rare occasions give us the sign of the cross with her thumb on our forehead

That is also part of the Russian culture, but I believe the parent or older family member (uncle, grandparent) usually taps the sign of the Cross on the child’s head.

I have a crucifix on my desk that I like to keep by my bedside. Recently I’ve been in the habit or making the sign of the cross over my bed

That is also an Orthodox practice. In fact my Prayer Book has an instruction in Evening Prayers that says “Make the sign of the Cross over your bed”. A man I know uses his Cross necklace to do so.