Taking the Pacifier Away

As parents, we have various jobs to do that are good, bad, and ugly. 

This week was one of those.


This is how it went....

Taking the pacifier, aka "paeee," (pronounced pie), away from Sophia has been well overdue.  When she was born we were so happy that she took to the pacifier and could reap the soothing benefits MAM promised in its colorful packaging.  Then, somewhere down the road, when I found myself woken in the night by a baby that can't find her pacifier and frantically shuffling throughout the crib of twisted blankets searching in the dark for the darn pacifier, I wondered if it really was a smart thing to give her one in the first place!

Two out of the three of our kids took the pacifier. The two that did both had such a great love for it that I could write a book on "Stories of the Lost Passy", or "Passy Gets a New Name" or "The Day the Passy Was Taken." 

Several days ago, I looked at how big Sophi is getting and noticed how funny it looked that she still had a pacifier and I decided I didn't want to fall into the category of...."I can't believe that parent still lets her child have a pacifier!"  I called in the troops, my family, and announced the news.

"I'm taking the pacifier from Sophia." gasp! why? gasp!

Of coarse I had to break it to Sophia slow and easy so I made up a story just as I did with my firstborn and told her that there was another baby named "Samantha" that needed a new "paeee" and it would be so nice of her to GIVE her "paeee" to that baby. After telling her my make-believe-story, Sophia ran into her bedroom and found a "paeee" on the floor, ran back to me with a huge smile and said "this one."  She didn't realize I meant ALL of them, not just one! For two days I casually mentioned and reminded Sophi of baby "Samantha" who needed all of her "paeee's" because she was a baby who didn't have any and big-girls don't need them.

On the third day, I decided I had had enough of the reminding and mentioning. "I have to get this over-with," I blurted out to myself.  At nap time we "conveniently" couln't find her "paeee,"  and she cried for about 10 minutes, then fell asleep.  Later that night, at bedtime, she began searching everywhere for her long lost friend, "paeee," but again could not find it. She began to get frustrated and sad so I picked her up out of her crib and held her tightly while whispering in her ear how sweet and kind she was to have given baby Samantha her "paeee's" to use and what a good and special girl she was for doing it. Somehow, someway her little mind accepted it and she said "I tiruured (tired) mommy," I laid her back down and she never cried again.

It's been three days now, still no crying and not much concern for her beloved "paeee."

Now I've gotta work on getting her to sleep through the night...every night!

Farewell friends....thank you for all of your soothing.






OK, yeah, I just thanked the pacifiers.


It made me feel better.