Thumb Sucking: Why and How to Stop It
A relative of mine has a 13 year-old son, a very nice young boy. Yet, I was surprised when I found out that he still sucked his thumb!
I talked to the mother. I asked her why she didn’t stop it.
Then, the story rolled.
She has been trying to stop it. So hard. But, it seems to fail, again and again. The reason is simply because the little boy still doesn’t feel comfortable with himself and his surrounding. Especially, knowing that the mother is working.
She planned to quit. It’s just, she got divorced and she had to support the family. And, the divorce made the thumb sucking worse.
All she can do now is to take the son–who has dental problems–to the dentist. And, she plans to take him to a psychologist to build his confidence.
That is very sad, for me. That could have been prevented or stopped earlier. It is harder to make him stop for he has been doing that for more than 10 years.
What parents can do to help their kids stop thumb sucking:
- First, make it easy. Don’t expect them to just stop right away. Start with an hour without thumb sucking, a day, a week, a month…and before you know it, they stop.
- Rewards. Challenge them. If you don’t see them sucking the thumb for one week in a row, promise them a toy or a dinner at the child’s favorite restaurant.
- No yelling, no bad words! This is important because the reason they do it is simply because they don’t feel comfortable. If you yell or say bad things, it means you encourage them to do it again for they need solace.
Have a nice try!
