Thumb Addict

Harrison has been a thumb-sucker since he was four months old. Besides making him the best sleeper ever, it was cute to watch my baby suck his thumb with his little blankie.  So reminiscent of my own childhood that I didn't think of the long-term consequences. I sucked my thumb until I was twelve.  I know, cue the gasp, it was a l-o-n-g time!  Like most habits, what starts off very innocent turns into a full-blown addiction with serious side effects.  My first clue that this habit was going to turn ugly was during a dentist visit at age three when I was told his thumb-sucking was creating an already-high palate even higher.   My wake-up call was our most recent visit to the dentist when he told us Harrison's front top-teeth weren't coming down like they should creating a pinkie-width gap when his jaw closed. The dentist offered a solution of a $450 thumb guard to be placed in his mouth that would make the habit very uncomfortable.  We left the office with me searching the internet to find what I knew I had to find. 

 

 My sweet little thumb sucker.  So cute!

The dreaded nasty tasting nail polish that, when applied to your thumb nail, made your whole mouth burn.  I hated this stuff as a kid and hated even more the idea of doing it to my own kid.  But, Harrison said he was ready to quit and willing to try anything. He was willing to try anything because I promised him we'd all go to the Great Wolf Lodge if he was successful.  I said we'd rather spend money on a water park then a metal guard in his mouth.

Harrison had two more days of  blankie and thumb bliss before Amazon arrived with our tool.  I thought it would be far more traumatic then it actually was.  Harrison willingly allowed me to apply the nail polish and after Steve's encouragement he even tried to see how it tasted.  Harrison gagged and sputtered rolling on the floor in full-on drama telling us how "disgusting" it was.  

I have been pleasantly surprised with how easy this process has been.  Harrison said he wasn't going to suck his thumb anymore and he hasn't looked back. I thought he was tricking me on night four when he told us we didn't need to add the nail polish because he had already kicked the habit, but he even put his blanket on the floor so he wouldn't be tempted.

Point scored for me that we have made it to the other side with little to no tears shed and, hopefully, have left Harrison feeling empowered that he can succeed when he puts his mind to something.  I can't wait to go back to the dentist in six months and hear Harrison tell him he is no longer a thumb-sucker!