i sucked my thumb until i was 14.around age 2 my parents tried everything.
the gross liquid you paint on the thumb with a brush to make it taste disgusting.
i washed and sucked it off.
the nasty taste was worth sucking my thumb.
duct taping socks around my hands at night.
i remember that approach in elementary school.
offering me rewards.
nope.
threatening me with taking things away.
nope.
my dad sneaking in after i'd fallen asleep to pull out my thumb during the night, only to find i had put it back in hours later.
there was nothing that was going to get me to stop.
except....
a BOY.
of course.
what 14 year old girl isn't motivated by a boy?!
well, i guess some aren't, but i was.
brian.
that was his name.
i wanted to "go out" with him.
there was of course no actual "going" anywhere.
it was just the term we used.
it was more of walking around school holding hands, passing notes, awkward hugs at the sound of the bell, and standing around next to each other in groups with our friends.
a symbol of true maturity and "grown-up-ness," lol.
i was MORTIFIED that he wouldn't want to "go out" if he knew that i sucked my thumb.
so after 14 years of hard core sucking, i quit.
cold turkey.
on the spot.
and have never sucked since.
so as i was watching the men's figure skating last night (particularly loving the skeleton costume the best and NOT being a fan of the hot pink tastle), i looked down at max in my arms to find her...
SUCKING HER THUMB.
part of me wanted to pull it out and shove in a binky.
a binky can be cleaned.
a binky can be taken away.
the fear of having a thumb sucker jolted through my mind!
panic!!!
but then i remembered how absolutely amazing that thumb used to taste to me.
so i cuddled the blanket a little closer to her face, sang her a song, and kissed her on the head.
we'll worry about the repercussions later.
you only get to be a baby once.
good thing we have 15 different binkies in the front closet...oh well.
9 comments:
I was a thumb sucker too. I now have two thumb suckers. thumb-sucking infants are the BEST. They may not be able to find a binky in the middle of the night or during a long car trip, but that thumb is always right there attached to their little pudgy hand. And that means peace and quiet. ; )
I don't know if we ever told you, but congratulations on the new addition to your family. She is cutie. Girls (and boys) are great!
-Erik
I used to suck my thumb, but definitely not until I was 14, thanks goodness for Brian :)
Hopefully her habit is just while she is little :)
My sister sucked her thumb till she was four or five. I think you win the longevity prize!
=)
Why is it that it's so darling and sweet and cooey when they're so tiny-and not so much when they're bigger? She really is so so cute
Thumb-sucking pros: The baby can soothe itself, and it looks so cute.
Thumb-sucking cons: They get tons of colds and buck-teeth. (At least Zachary did)
If I could do it all over again, I wish I would have at least TRIED the paci.
(I was a thumb sucker, too. It did taste good!)
So sweet.
She is such a little cutie with that thumb in her mouth!!
Your parents sounded like my parents...only mine didn't stop there...they took me to a dentist who put in a metal contraption with a needle sticking straight down to my tongue. I couldn't chew anything...had to eat only liquids...didn't work. Had cuts in my tongue, but they sharpened it anyway in hopes of it working. STILL DIDN'T WORK. In fact the dentist said I was the FIRST it hadn't worked on. I sucked my thumb till HS. My dad refused to give me braces because he thought my thumb would ruin them anyways...and guess what...I NEVER REALLY NEEDED THEM...AND...I turned out JUST fine...or so I THINK!!!
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