Confessions of a Social Media Junkie

This weekend DD did it. She kicked her soother habit.

I’m not ashamed to admit I used bribery to make it happen either. Because it worked.

We talked about giving up the soother for just over a week. Why it was important to start thinking about throwing it away. She seemed to get it too because she would periodically bring the subject up on her own.

On Saturday, we were visiting friends and there were many children about. One of those young ones had a doll and DD wanted it.

So I cut her a deal:

We’d go to the store Sunday morning and get a doll just like that one, but she had to throw her soother away before she could have the doll.

And just like that – DD agreed.

We reinforced the message a couple of times Sunday morning: This is it. If DD gets a new doll, no more soother.

She wholeheartedly agreed!

So the exchange was made and that was that.

No really. I mean it.

I imagined kicking her soother habit to be a major deal.  I expected 5 minutes into naptime Sunday afternoon DD would leap out of bed having suddenly realized what she had done. I expected gushing tears of loss, and rushed pleas to get her soother back.

But, no. None of that.

I present to you…the bribe:

So…done and done

My lesson here is that I greatly misunderstood my child’s ability to grow. She was obviously more than emotionally ready to give up her soother. It wasn’t a crutch anymore so much as a habit.

Also, we obviously found the ideal motivator -she practically danced to the garbage to throw her soother away.

DH and I sat in our family room Sunday afternoon while DD slept, and I told him I felt kind of sad. A little bit wobbly in my heart.

I realized I’m the one who wasn’t ready for DD to give up her soother. It felt like that soother was the last vestige of her babyhood; now gone.

Silly, I know. Yet there it is. Me with a wobbly heart and a little girl growing up faster than I thought.