Super Proud Mom!

Yes, you read these sticker chart titles correctly.

And YES, every sticker on these two charts has been earned!

A couple of months ago we did a youth retreat for some friends.  They had a thumb sucker who is just a little younger than Areyna.  She told me about a thumb guard (Stop Thumb Sucking with Thumb Guard Kit (Size Medium/Ages 5-6) that they got that worked an absolute miracle for their son!  After a couple of weeks he kicked the habit!

After hearing of their success I was determined that this would be a worthy investment for our kids.

We told Areyna that if she could stop sucking her thumb by the time we left for Africa we would take her to get her ears pierced.  She was more than willing to agree to using a thumb guard to "help" her kick her habit too:)

The next week while Josh and I were away for our anniversary, Josh's mom did a little research of her own and found these little hand-made thumb guards for a fraction of the cost.

Now, I had my doubts that these would work.  For starters, they are fabric and Velcro...that's it!  My kids can take them off, and if they were smart enough to get this stuff off then I thought these new contraptions would be a joke.

I have been pleasantly surprised at the success we've had.  The kids got to pick out their own design, which I think has been a big reason for the success.  We also did a 21-day chart to begin a new habit of NOT sucking their thumbs.  As you can tell, Areyna has had a couple set backs, but overall, they have done excellent!  They don't even have to sleep with "Bubby" and "Bear" anymore!

The only rules are that the thumbguards have to be ON and DRY in order to get a sticker for their chart.

Areyna has informed us that she really doesn't want to get her ears pierced...she'd rather have a bunny.  Hmmm...we'll have to see about that, ha!  Zeke has been more than excited to get to pick out whatever he wants at the Dollar Store:)  Oh, the simple pleasure of a child...

Now, if we could just get Cai on board...