The Binky Debacle

A few months ago I decided we really needed to get our almost 3 year old to give up her most precious friend, her binky (pacifier). We decided we would go about it the same way we had with our oldest 2 girls 8 years ago. We started with talking alot about the "binky fairy" coming and how big girls who were 3 couldn't have a binky. Then about a week before Macey's 3rd birthday we cut the nipples off of all of her binkies, all 30+ of them! My husband didn't know at the time that I had kept a "secret stash" of 5 binkies in a drawer, just in case! So that evening we were getting Macey ready for bed and collecting binkies and she realized they were all "broken" so she decided they needed to go into the garbage and Rick and I held our breath for the possible rough night ahead of us. When Macey got in bed she discovered that the "binky fairy" had come and left her a pee wee pillow pet to replace her binkies, she was so very happy and went to sleep and did great! Macey did absolutely amazing, she was already potty trained and this was the last "baby battle" and now we were done with that and so easily too, or so we thought...

A couple of days later our sweet, pleasant, compliant, easy-going almost 3 year old turned into the crabbiest little thing you've ever met! She whined all day long and was driving everyone in the family crazy!!! Even our 4 older kids who usually fight over who is going to play with or hold sweet little Macey were avoiding her at all cost and begging me to "please make her stop whining and fussing all the time!!!" Our entire family was on edge but my husband gets to go to work and the other 4 get to escape her for 8 hours a day when at school but I get to be with her all day long and my patience was beyond wearing thin! When the kids would get home from school I would ask them to play with her just so I could get a break and they did not want to, I even bribed them with $!

So after 2 weeks of missing our sweet, pleasant little girl and with my anxiety levels through the roof and my patience non-existent anymore I went to my secret stash and gave her a binky and magically the whining and fussing stopped!

I know, I know I should have just stuck it out and eventually she would have worked through it and she would have been fine and I know we shouldn't hinder our child's progress just to make ourselves feel better and I know that Dr. Phil would have some stern words for me about this, but I don't care I was desperate!!! I had to make the whining stop and it worked so here we are with a 3 year old that still has her BFF ~ her binky. Oh well, maybe she will give it up by the time she goes to kindergarten ;)