My Practice Child

I have a little confession to make.

Up until about a week ago, my three-year-old little girl still sucked on a binky to fall asleep. My other mom friends would make fun of me for allowing this to go on, talking about stupid stuff like binkies giving kids buck teeth, blah blah blah. (Are you joking? She is going to get a whole new set of teeth anyway. These teeth are just temporary little chewers until the real deal comes in. Let's not take them too seriously folks.) I decided Megan could keep her binky until she decided she didn't want it anymore, or her husband got sick of hearing sucking noises from her side of the bed, which ever came first. Then I realized it was probably time to get rid of the thing.

I talked to Megan about the Binky Fairy coming in the night and taking the binky away and giving it to a poor little binky-less baby who needed one. When the poor little binky-less baby angle didn't catch hold, I tried another approach. The Binkie Fairy sprinkles fairy dust! Still no. The Binky Fairy brings you presents!!!! (shameless) Guess what? Still no. Actually it was, "I'm just not ready." Ok then. Not ready. That's fine 'cause I don't think I'm ready either.

Then about a week ago I went out shopping for some spring clothes for the kids. As I was showing John some of Megan's new clothes, I told him Megan now wears a size 5. (Megan overheard this conversation.) Later that day, Megan says "Mommy, I'm ready for the Binky Fairy to come." What? You're ready? Where did that come from? Megan informed me that since she was five-years-old, and since five-year-olds don't suck on binkies anymore, the Binky Fairy could now come and take it away. Hmmm, interesting. You are 5?

Yep, I skipped 4 and now I'm 5.

So I did what any rational mother would do . . . I let her continue to believe she was actually 5.

Here's what happened next . . .

She got to sleep in Mommy and Daddy's bed that night since the first night was kinda rough. The Binky Fairy left a fun stamp set and a little tiny dog that isn't real. (Megan asked for a giant, scary chicken but the Binky Fairy is afraid of scary chickens.)

So now we're left with this little problem . . . Megan still thinks she is 5. I've told her she is a size 5 but is actually still 3 years old until her birthday but she argues with me and insists she is 5. She tells everyone that she is 5 now. With wide eyes she explains that she skipped 4! Wow, how exciting! Now what in the heck am I gonna do? I should have never gone along with her thinking she was 5, even if it made her ready to give up the binky. I didn't even care if she kept the stupid binky. What is wrong with me?

I think I've said it before . . . she is my practice child. I'll do much better with the next one, I promise.