Well, it is officially gone. Our now 2-year-old son, who really looks 3 or 4, will no longer be walking the earth with a pacifier/binky (or deentee, as Max says it) in his mouth.
VICTORY!
Oh, but the price of victory. Every battle has its casualties and I am beginning to think we have sacrificed our sanity and sleep to this one. Let’s just say that before this experience, I actually thought I was a patient mother! Oh, the foolishness of (wo)men.
Let’s give you some quick highlights from the past 10 days of detox:
Day 1: Howls for binky. Goes ballistic in nursery (this is repeated the following Sunday). Whole ward votes for us to be excommunicated (at least until Max is five). At home, Max begins to demand his binky from me. I explain he is a big boy and it is gone, but being a big boy has good consequences too. He doesn’t care to listen. Bedtime is a battle- but we figured it would be.
Day 2: Naptime: Wants binky. Doesn’t get it. Screams (oh, this is no half-hearted howl. Thank heavens we don’t have neighbors). I go to check on him after 20 min., he has completely stripped down- clothes, diaper, everything. Did I mention that he has never so much as taken his socks off before? My buck naked boy eventually finds his way to sleep.
Day 2: Evening: we take Max to Build-A-Bear to pick a new toy since he is a “big boy”. He finds a bosom buddy and we secretly slip his last binky inside “Jack” as they stuff him. Max has no idea his bear holds his binky, otherwise, I guarantee that bear would be nothing more than a pile of stuff and fur chunks by now.
Day ? : This happens repeatedly. Max howls for an hour as we put him to bed (we have no idea how he does not pass out from this. He puts so much into it). Arises at 2:00 am to howl again; howling time varies. Wakes up again at 4:00 am to howl for at least two hours. NOTHING works to comfort him.
Well, the rest would just be a repetitive journal of howling and temper tantrums. Impressively, however, he seldom asks for the binky. I wonder if he even remembers why he is so livid throughout the night. He is now just minus the one way he knew how to self-soothe. And oh, how we are paying the price.
We are sure of one thing from this experience… our son will NOT be moved by every wind of doctrine. This boy is stubborn and focused… let’s all pray we can just get him focused on the Lord’s side! (And it wouldn’t hurt to keep his parents’ patience in your prayers until we see this battle through!)
3 comments:
I want to add my two cents in here real quick. The past two nights, Max has made it through the WHOLE night without making us get out of bed. He would howl a little bit - but never more than two minutes, then he would just fall back asleep. It has been very good for his sleep-deprived parents.
We tried for a while to put my Laptop in his room with some comforting Elmo playing. And it worked a couple of times, but we are leary of replacing one vice for another. Plus, after a couple of times, he would just cry regardless.
Yeah for you!! THat is quite the accomplishment. He is getting so big. We need to come visit again. Love you!
that sounds like pure torture! I am so grateful my kids never really took a binky! All those times of getting awakened in the night by howls would've had me tearing that bear to shreds to find that kid's cork!
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