I Don't Think So! Recently I was talking to a few friends who said they got rid of their kids' pacifiers when they were around 18 months old, and they made it sound so easy. So, since Landry is now 17 months old and Daddy is away at camp for a week, I thought tonight might be the perfect opportunity. You see, Daddy, while stronger in most situations, is sometimes weak when it comes to seeing his little girl upset. Which Daddy isn't? Mom, on the other hand, knows how important it is to be strong now so we won't have to fight awful battles later on. Well, I stand before you honestly tonight to say that I am weak.
As I got Landry ready for bed, we brushed our teeth as usual, read a few books, prayed, and then grabbed the binkie and bunny. However, the binkie was no ordinary binkie. It had a hole cut on the end of it so that it would flatten when she tried to suck it. This apparently has worked for so many people, so why shouldn't it work for me. When I first gave it to her, I thought it was quite funny because she kept taking it out of her mouth and looking at it like "why aren't you working?" But then as I tucked her into bed and left the room, the crying started. And the crying continued and intensified. I was so strong for a while, but she was really ripping my heart out with the pitiful whimpers. I let the crying go on for 30 minutes, but it was not getting any better. And this wasn't the normal, "I'm trying to get your attention" cry. I had heard this cry before, but only on very few occasions, when she was extremely broken-hearted.
I broke. I couldn't take it any longer. I walked into her room, and there she was laying their with her bunny, soaking wet from tears and the broken binkie still in her mouth. I picked her up and tried to give her a good binkie, but she didn't even want that. She just wanted to be held. It took a good 20 more minutes for me to settle her down and put her back to bed. She even cried when I laid her back down, like she was having a flashback or something. My goodness, what a traumatic experience.
Needless to say, I think I will be waiting a little longer to get rid of the binkie. Hopefully, when she gets to an age to think more logically, we can let her give her binkie away to a baby or something. For now, it's sticking with Landry.