Tuesday, July 28, 2009

attachments

 In 5 days we will celebrate 3 years of Jack's life.
We will also be commemorating the 3rd anniversary of the the binky's presence in our home.

It will be a bitter sweet day, for sure.
Our little boy is growing up.
He is working through all this toddler kinks and becoming a responsible boy.
He is ready to embark on new adventures.



But there is one adventure in particular that I'm not sure any of us are ready for.

THE BANISHMENT OF THE BINKY

I'll be honest.  Troy and I are probably 28 times more scared about this than Jack.  Remember when we talked about this way back when?  

Actually, we've been talking about it for a long time. 

"Before the baby comes we'll take it away"
"When he turns 2 we'll for sure get rid of it"
"After Christmas travel"
"On his 3rd birthday.  No ifs, ands, or buts about it!"

Maybe you're the parent that sees older children with binkies and scoffs at the mere thought? Maybe you're the old lady from the store last week who gave me the rundown on all the dental problems binkies cause?  Maybe you're the awesome parent who managed to make it through years of crying without one.  Well, props to you all!  It really is commendable.

But let me tell you why WE'VE gotten so attached to this little binks:

Jack still naps for 3 hours in the day.
It is a wonderful silencer in a car when all hell is breaking loose.
When he gets hurt, the binky is there to soothe all sorrows.
Before bed, he lays on the couch with his dad and his binky and together they snuggle (all 3 of them).
Bedtime is a breeze.  He takes the binky, starts in with the rhythmic sucks, and he is out in no time....at 7 p.m.
and sometimes, dare I admit, it can even act as collateral in a bribery deal.


Can you blame me?
I don't have very much faith that life will be the same without it.

So please help.  
The binky fairy is scheduled to arrive late Sunday night.  and all binkies will be gone.  forever and ever.  Amen.
Any last minute advice is welcome.  I know you left some before, but I need more moral support now!




and PS...I think lucy's has to go too.  It's either all or nothing.




23 comments:

Blackburns said...

Sienna had to have a tooth pulled and was not allowed sucking. So. . . We had to go cold turkey not binky. It was hard for a night or two but then she seemed to forget. Good luck!!

Jay and Gwen Sessions said...

Dear binky battler....best wishes with the binky withdrawl. Does this expulsion have anything to do with your scheduled visit to our place? Are we going to be the binky bad boys? Will thumbs replace the blessed binky? Good luck and be sure to warn the neighbors.

Garrett and Mindy Sessions said...

Good luck! I don't envy you guys!

Can I bring one when we come to visit to win Jacks love?

-Big G

joanne said...

I've heard of cutting some of the binky off, making it hard for him to keep it in his mouth....sounds cruel, but maybe worth a try. He is so darn cute, I think I'd let him do ANYTHING he wanted!

Jana said...

I was deathly afraid of getting rid of carmen's binky when she turned two, mostly because of going out into public without a cork to stick in it...
I tried it all and it wasn't that bad in the end. Here is what I did...
I made her a super soothing blanket out of that minky swirl fabric to give as a relacement (which she still sleeps with at night to this day)
I cut the tip off of her binky, that way when they ask why you just say "I don't know, I guess it broke."
I always had gum to give her while I was shopping, that whole "gum stays in their belly for 7 years" is a lie.
And I hid one spare binky in my purse for about a year, I never used it... But for some reason just knowing it was there gave me peace of mind.

I hope it goes smoothly for ya!

Fawn Christiansen said...

i do not envy you ali! i have heard that if THEY throw it away in the trash themselves they understand it is "bye bye". i have heard that from 2 different people. let me know how it goes because chloe is a pacifier girl for bedtime and i can not imagine life without it either!! :0(

ali said...

everybody...thank you so much. keep the advice coming. it's totally helping ease my soul!

the 2nd tallest tree said...

I got nothin', do YOU have any advice on the thumb/sheep combo?

Adrienne said...

Well you have to do it at some point, right? (the answer is yes, yes you do.:)
I honestly think it won't be that bad. When Santa stole Ezra's binky (blame Jim for that brilliant idea) he had one bad night and that was that. He kept sleeping with his favorite blanket, and he still took long naps without it. But binky or no binky, Jack might start to grow out of a 3-hour nap one of these days anyway, so don't feel like you are jipping yourself of that time.
But two things....yes, Lucy's might have to go as well. He will just use hers.
And secondly, anticipate the 7 pm., sound asleep bedtime habit to change a little. Without anything to "do" to unwind, it usually takes them longer to fall asleep. So be prepared for that.
But you can do it...he will be fine!! How about this....I'll come do the binky thing for you if you'll come potty train Ezra!!!

Lori said...

Ali,
We were also fearful to give up our crutch.
One tip I have is ear plugs. Travel might not be the same.
Pray.

My Isabelle is very attached to her binkey and we aren't planning to wean her off it until she's Jack's age. This girl has an ear piercing scream like no other! It is funny to see her sit on the toilet to do her business with a binkey in her mouth.

The binky fairy had to visit my Luke when he was about 2 1/2 and this kid was sooooo attached to binkies. Thankfully he did great with it and the binky fairy brought him a comfort blankie and stuffed animal in a gift bag to replace them. Luke loved hearing that his binkies went to the babies in heaven and never cried about it since she left him a big boy gift.



If it makes you feel better, having a binky for comfort is much better for Jack's teeth than thumb or finger sucking. (and much easier to control)

Jamie said...

Not sure if your Binky Fairy is the same as my Binky Fairy....There comes a knock at the door the binky sucker answers and it's a box with a letter from the binky fairy? They are told to put all their binkys in that box at a certain time and then the Binky Fairy picks it up and leaves an amazing toy behind.....

Olive-us said...

I went through the same thing with Olive when she was 2 1/2. Instead of a "binky fairy", I told Olive that we were going to give it to our neighbor who had a baby on the way. We talked about it for a while before it actually happened so it wasn't too much of a shock. The day finally came and we gathered up all the pacifiers, put them in a nice gift bag with a homemade card for the baby, and gave them away so the new baby could enjoy them, since after all, "pacifiers are for babies" and she was a "big girl now". It worked beautifully! I was the one in tears! After that we went straight to Target and bought her a "big girl" toy. It really was 20 times better than I thought it would be. Maybe you could use Kelly's baby as the baby to give the binky's to. It definitely helped matters that Olive was very close with my neighbor. Good luck with any method you choose!

ali said...

yes shauna. we thought about that very method. then we thought it might backfire with jack ending up hating on the baby that "stole" his binkies. but, maybe not!?!?

Fawn Christiansen said...

ali! i am thinking i looove jaime's idea! the binky fairy box?? brilliant! it seems to cover ALL the bases!??

Jen Giorgis said...

So we have the whole fingers issue...Kimball is 5 and still loves to such 2 of his fingers. I have to admit that I don't really care. As far as binkys go, a friend of mine took her 3 year old to the toy store and let her pick out anything she wanted (with in reason of couse). She then had to pay the clerk with all of her binkys. The clerk was a bit pre-informed. It worked for her. She handed them her binks as payment and they handed her a wonderful new toy! Good luck!!!

P.S. we are all going to want an update and to know what you decided to do!

P.P.S. did I ever tell you that I got my banner and I am in love? Seriously, it isn't anyones birthday and I still just want to hang it up!

meeshw said...

Hi Ali...I will be no help with my comment...I am just glad that I am WAY past the binkie obsession stage...although my teenagers are throwing their own sort of challenges at me...mmm...like I said I am no help but I do sincerely wish you the best with this...
On another note and the REAL reason I am commenting...I really LOVE, LOVE, LOVE your hair, you look so cute even with binkies...that's it...:)

heidi said...

I think I'll wait and see how it works out for you before I try it here. It gives me nightmares thinking about it...

Good Luck!!

Mamasita said...

don't do it.

Mamasita said...

just kidding, good luck.

I do want to get together when you visit call me.

Ben and Shara said...

be strong!! Don't give in and don't have ANY exceptions. Doing them both at the same time is very smart.

Jessica Mason said...

Ok so I have to defend little Lucy in all of this. Equal is not fair! Jack got 3 years of the blessed binky. She should not be denied her rights just because it's time for him to be done! Just my opinion. I have to say I just went through this with my almost 3 year old Tytan. I had the same internal conflicts that you are having and for all the same reasons. The greatest thing was that we just couldn't find any binkies one day. He still layed down and took his nap just fine...amazed I was! He is still sad sometimes and misses his best friend but I think it was better this way than taking it away from him. I didn't want him to think of me as the bad guy or the poor little babies that you were speaking of. GOOD LUCK!

amanda jane said...

our first gave it up willingly, the second needed the biniky fairy. our third still has hers and will be three in October. I figure we need to potty train first. all I do know for wure is that you will all live through it. even if it's rough it's not the end of the world right? well, at least I think so.... good LUCK!

Desta said...

At least once a week (either at nap time or bed time) I wish for the reinstatement of the pacifier. And we took Zoe's away back in October (I didn't realize she is less than a month older than Jack). But she was chewing them and sticking them in the side of her mouth, so I didn't feel too bad taking it away.

One night she didn't ask for it at bedtime so I just took them away permanently. And said farewell to regular afternoon naps.