lemme start the story with this..

at home, we have one computer. it’s a mac, so most of the programs run a bit differently than a pc.. which is what bryan and i are most comfortable on. one of the downfalls of sharing a machine is that, since we both have gmail accounts, chances are very likely that when we open up gmail, the other person’s mail (and bidness) is there in plain view. today was one such occurrence.

gmail is a fantastic email program, and one of the things that i do so adore about it is that you have the option of seeing the first line of email before you open it. sort of a teaser. and there was one headline that, admittedly, caught my eye, because it had been a recent topic of discussion: “thumb sucking”.

now i’ll say this. i was a thumb sucker. actually, i wasn’t so much a thumb sucker as i was a lip rubber. i know that sounds nuts. but i was linus, in a nutshell. i sat, with my blankie wrapped around my index finger, and rubbed my upper lip. to this day, you will STILL notice me do that.. now, though, as i’ve been told by steph, my nervous habit is actually ASL for “patience”. irony.

but i worry. i worry that allowing thumb sucking at the age of The Boy will put him at several disadvantages. most importantly.. his teeth. as a child of several retainers (but never braces.. although probably should’ve), i worry about his teeth constantly. thumb sucking isn’t good for teeth, right?

and what do his classmates think? i’ve heard him say on more than one occasion that the other kids laugh at him for it. so are we just allowing his ridicule by allowing the behavior?

but that’s where i stand. i’m against thumb sucking. i may have to start a support group, but i’m against it. so i need some parental help here, guys.. quick and easy methods to break the cycle? other than tabasco on the thumb.. The Boy likes the stuff.