Thumb Sucking

Lindsey had a passie......easy to take away with a bribe to trade it in for a toy at Walmart. Marshall handed me his passie's when he was 20 months and proclaimed that he was a big boy. Emily....somewhat harder.....she reluctantly traded them in for a toy and then cried for several nights wanting to take the toy back! But this soon passed. Benjamin....never took a passie...AAHHH so easy!


Then came Luke....Oh the baby????!!!!! No passie.....he found his thumb on day 2 and we all thought it was the cutest thing we had ever seen....and we continued to think that for some time. Oh but the habit!!! He is 6 now! We first tried the Thumb stuff...it didn't do anything...then we moved to the more serious stuff...it is also a paint on solution....this stuff is aweful and it stays around for days........ after many hand washings! I even tried to put red pepper in the solution....I know it sounds awful...but it didn't work!

He only sucks his thumb at night....during the night...so it is not intentional...just habitual. I have tried putting a glove on him but he gets it off in his sleep? I really don't care all that much except his teeth are paying the price!

Any suggestions??

Fruit on the tree

Do you react to the behavior of your kids? I sure do ...but I know better....and yet I find myself still struggling with my reaction! The behavior that we see in our children is just the "fruit on the tree" that indicates a heart problem. So many times we as parents "fix" the bad behavior but we never get to the heart of the matter. It takes a lot more time and effort to work on a heart matter so we just react to the behavior. I do know that changing behavior will not bring the long term results that I so desperately want for my children. My children will conform because they do not want to be in trouble but they will not understand that when they disobey or have a rotten attitude...it breaks their fellowship with the Lord and that He wants an intimate walk with them. Do you struggle with "Fruit on the Tree"?

Boys

Boys are really from another planet! They do the most amazing things! I remember reading in James Dobson's book..."Bringing up Boys" that if you ask a boy why he did whatever it is he did his answer will be, "I don't know" Boys react and then think later ....if they think at all. I love my boys very much...they make me laugh so much.....they make me crazy....and I am sure I will not ever fully understand them! I do know this....the same part of them that makes them do the most ridiculous things and not think about why.....is the same part of them that is willing to go to war and defend our country! For that I am grateful!