You may remember our fatal attempts to try to get our kids to stop sucking their thumbs last year. If not, you can get a good laugh if you click HERE, HERE and HERE=) As parents you live and you learn, right?Well, a couple of weeks ago Areyna came to me and said, "I don't want to suck my thumb anymore! But I can't stop sucking it." I couldn't believe my own ears. She, on her own initiative, was willing to admit that she needed some help.
So, we spent some time making a "No Thumb-Sucking Chart". At the end of 21 days she gets to get a surprise. It is said that it takes 21 days to make (or break) a habit. She was SO excited...
...until she woke up the next morning with the saddest look on her face. She looked at me and said, "Do you know why I am making this face?" I quickly replied, "No baby, what's the matter?" Then she said, "I sucked my thumb. I think I suck my thumb because I sleep with bear, but I don't sleep so good without him."
I reassured her that I was still SOOOOO proud of her for trying so hard.
The next day she decided she would try to sleep without bear and keep him on the chair beside her bed. That didn't even last 5 minutes because she said she missed him=) So, after almost a whole week, with no success stickers on her chart (but continuing to tell her how proud of her we are), came a blessing in disguise. She crushed her thumb with one of Zeke's tools. She got a HUGE hematoma (You like that word don't you! Yeah, my dad is a doctor;) on her sucking thumb. She was really hurt but she found the positive side in her circumstance. She was so excited that she couldn't suck her thumb because of her "boo-boo"!
So now, 3 stickers into her chart she is more pumped-up than ever. The mornings that she doesn't suck her thumb she wakes up ecstatic and runs in to tell us she didn't suck her thumb. There is permanent "prunage" (yes, I just made that a real word!) on her thumb so in order to REALLY be able to tell if she has sucked her thumb or not we've been sticking a band aid on it just in case.
I need to give Zeke a big "E" for "E"ffort on his part. He sees Areyna trying to quit and he is...well, talking about trying to quit too;)
Here's a big "Woo-Hoo" for her FINALLY being ready to kick this habit on her own! We don't have complete success every day but she is really trying!
3 comments:
WAY TO GO AREYNA! Please tell her that Aunt Kelly is so proud of her!! It is so sweet to see her doing it on her own!! So awesome!
I bet the band-aid really does help...can you imagine sucking on a band-aid? Yuch!
Maybe she will want to give up her thumb sucking for good on her 5th birthday, just like aunt Joy did! I know how much she looks up to Joy, maybe that will encourage her to keep it up.
Dear Rainy,
Poppee and MeMe are so very proud of you for trying so hard to stop sucking your thumb. Remember I told you that Aunt Joy stopped sucking her thumb when she turned 5 years old. You are almost 5 too. I know you can do do it just like Aunt Joy. Aunt Joy sucked her thumb when she held her baby doll, so she put her baby doll away. Maybe you can keep putting Bear in the high chair so that you can see him,but then you won't suck your thumb. You can do it!!! I know you can!
Way to go RAINY.
We love you so much, MeMe and Poppee
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