No More Sweetie

Ben with his new Lego truck. The scabs on his face are from a collision with a wall last week.

It's true that you get more relaxed with each child and tend to not fret about the use of things like pacifiers and ragged blankets. Now that Ben is 4, however, we decided it was time for him to give up his pacifier which he so lovingly calls his "sweetie." His beloved blanket, which you may remember from several posts back, was taken away in late June by my in-laws when they took care of the kids. Ben thinks grandpa threw it away, but I have it in a sealed plastic bag so it doesn't disintegrate, and it will make a reappearance at his wedding or graduation some day. Ben didn't have any problems giving up his blanket, but we thought the pacifier would be tricky. There was always something coming up on the calendar like camping or Jerry out of town that we didn't want to risk him not sleeping well. Anyway, last week Sunday we decided was the day. Jerry took Ben and his sweeties to Toys 'R Us where he picked out a couple of Lego trucks. He paid for them with his sweeties and now thinks that his sweeties go to babies who need them. That night he went to bed with no complaints, and he hasn't asked for it once. Definitely my easiest child to break from the habit.