stopping thumbsucking with shame!!??

sneakermom

Mon, Jan 04 2010, 12:35 pm

I was shamed as a kid for sucking my thumb and it was traumatic. Why do adults overreact to simple things? I know people that had shaming teachers in school....who said, shame shame when a pre schooler had an accident in school and they are traumitzed about it to this day.

Never let someone shame your kid. Speak to the teacher, try to find her language, her way of looking at things and present it to her that way. Educate her, bribe her, threaten her, flatter her....whatever works. But stop it right away.

And talk to your kid. I would validate how yummy that thumb feels in her mouth. And show that you understand where she is coming from. And then listen hard, she might tell you how it feels when they say shame shame in school. If she says, in school morah says shame shame, you can say, oh that must make you feel so bad. etc. And doing what FS said is also a good idea. Teach your kids to aim for kindness and turn away from shtus.