Thumb Sucking, Blankies and Such...

I was always a little concerned that my kids would have a problem with thumb sucking or using a pacifier for too long. I was critical of those who allowed it prior to becoming a mom.

I thought an eight year old sucking his thumb or a three year old using a pacifier was just strange. Like maybe these kids had issues that their parents weren't addressing. To this day I don't know for sure.

My firstborn sucked his first two fingers on his right hand. At first he bent them and sucked the knuckles. Later he sucked one knuckle and then he sucked the two fingers again fully extended into his mouth.

He held his "MeMe" (favorite blanket) in the left hand and gently rubbed his nose as he sucked his fingers. I thought it was cute. I let him be. He usually only did this while sitting watching t.v.,riding in the car, or at bedtime.

At about age four or so one grandparent would ask him when was he going to stop sucking his fingers? He'd smile real big and keep on sucking.

After this happened a few times, I just said, "We're just ignoring it and hoping he'll just stop on his own." That helped to stop the questioning. He did just stop on his own about six months to a year later.

Now to the MeMe. Both of my kids love their baby blankets. A friend had given each child a blanket she had sewn a silkie ruffle onto when they were new borns. My son called his "MeMe" and my daughter called hers "Mickie". Not sure why they picked thos names, but it worked for us.

At first I had no idea my one year old, first born had a name for his blanket. I found out one day when he was wandering around the house looking and sounding distrat calling, "MeMe? MeMe? Where's my MeMe?" I inquired as to what Me Me was, but he couldn't tell me. After a few anxious minutes he found it. He got a big smile and said, "Here's my MeMe!" As he held up his precious blanket.

I said, "That's your MeMe? You named your blanket MeMe?" And I just laughed. That was a sweet and very cute moment. He just completely retired it about nine months ago. Well it's in one of his dresser drawers. He's thirteen.

He kept it in his bed for all these years. That is, once he stopped taking it everywhere with him (not preschool though, it stayed in the car). My daughter also still has hers in her bed (she's twelve).

She used to weave the silkie ruffle through her fingers and twiddle her fingers so the ruffle would move over her fingers. She was wearing it over her shoulders every morning this past winter, but I haven't seen it lately.

Here's one more thing that my kids did that really bothered other people. It would shock them. Our kids would call my hubby and I by our first names. I don't know when it started, but it didn't bother us.

When they did it in public, whoever we were with would ask, "Did he/she just call you by your first name?" And I would respond, "Yes, he/she did" with this funny look on my face because I didn't even notice it.

One elderly man thought it was so disrespectful, he took it up with his daughter-in-law later. She told me what he thought, but I just had to laugh. It really wasn't a big deal to us.

I can't remember how long they did this or when it stopped, but it just stopped. I do think it is disrespectful if it is done by older children who know better, but our kids knew us as Nannette and Gary. That's what everyone else called us. I guess they thought they should too.

Some battles are better left alone. Next it's the messy bedroom. So far I've pretty much let that battle go (most of the time).

Tell me what you think? What have you done in these situations and what battles will you pick or leave alone? Every family is different so I'm expecting to hear all kinds of solutions.