Miles had a great opportunity to learn about self control recently.
Up until about three months ago Miles really liked to suck his thumb (the left thumb). He sucked his thumb so much that it actually had a callus on it!!
Little thumb sucker, with his favorite blankie (2008)
I never cared about it. In fact when he was a baby I was grateful that he was a thumb sucker—he slept so well at night! And with the myriad of things a mom can chose to do I felt I had other much more important things to focus on.
But…Joey worried about his teeth. (So did the dentist, who could take one look at Miles and know he was a thumb sucker...I'll have to ask him how he does that.) So Joey came up with an idea. We had heard of other kids who had stopped their thumb sucking habit by having something really exciting to work toward. Miles had been asking for a remote control car for a while. So Joey bought a very special remote control car. Joey and Miles had chat about whether or not it would be worth it to stop sucking his thumb forever if by doing so he could earn the car. It didn’t take much to persuade Miles! He thought the car Joey picked out was the coolest!
So Joey and Miles made a plan together: In order to earn the car Miles would have to go 30 consecutive days without sucking his thumb...and then keep it up indefinitely! Joey made a chart to keep track of his progress. And then we left him alone. This would have to be his goal, using his own self control; there would be no reminders from us.
It was hard for him at first. But even when he was struggling to stop I was proud of him for his effort.
But he didn’t give up! The first day that he went the whole day without sucking his thumb was exciting! He had finally had self control over his habit for an entire day!
And now, three months later, sucking his thumb is a thing of the past!
First thing in the morning (January), wanting to open his remote control car after finally earning it and giving a thumbs up.
Oh, and guess who loves to go out and use the remote control car every chance he gets? That’s right—Miles and Joey! I don’t know who loves it more!
5 comments:
Great job Miles! It's great that our kids are finally old enough to be able to pick out something that they really want and then do the work to earn it. One of the rewarding times as a parent.
Way to go Miles!!!!! Sophie is still using her binky and I've got to get some ideas to get it away from her. Tell Miles Aunt Lindsey is proud of him!
That's a great idea! I didn't give up thumb-sucking until kindergarten and my parents paid for it dearly with braces (I had to have 3 sets over 8 years!!) But, my mom did the same thing and that's why my ears are pierced. I still remember going to kindergarten the next day and showing off my new blue "diamond" earrings.
great job Miles, and great parenting Tiffany and Joseph! It is so hard to let our kids do things them selves sometimes, but so rewarding, for both!!
Congratulations Miles on breaking a bad habit! Enjoy that remote control car!
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