The Mommy Diaries - Binky Style

For weeks... ok, months... Joel and I have been talking about getting rid of the bink (or "paci" as it may be to some of you). Joel would say, "Ya know, we should get rid of that thing before it's too late," and I would say "k" and nod and move along about whatever I was doing at the time.

Little did I know he was serious.

A couple of weeks ago, I went out with a girlfriend and left Joel home with the kids (which was great - love you, babe). So the next morning, my wonderful (and ballsy) husband informs me that he put Jericho down for bed without his binky and that little Moose slept all night without it. This is shocking to me, seeing as how he would wake up and cry if - God forbid - he couldn't find it at 3am. But again, I say "oh, that's nice" to my well-meaning husband and move about my morning.

Again, little did I know he was serious.

So about 1/2 an hour later Jericho starts to fuss and Joel grabs the binky and instead of sticking it in Jericho's little toddler-sized pie hole like a cork, he says "I mean it - we're done with this thing." I... wait - what? "Cold Turkey??" I say as I follow after him. "Cold turkey. He doesn't need it."

But... but... I need it. And more importantly, I want it, and I like it. He fusses, I plug. That's the beauty of the bink. And now it's been taken from me... er... him. Surely, I think to myself, this won't last. He'll cave. But no. I caved. I caved that first little fuss and I've been caving every one since. Not actually caving, of course, but mentally, I'm sticking that bink in his mouth every time he so much as whimpers.

That was 3 weeks ago, and he's really done it. Cold turkey - no bink. Well, kind of. About a week ago I went in to get him in the morning and when I said his name, he turned around with this dear-in-the-headlights look and I noticed a giant blue bink sticking out from between his two fat cheeks. I could have died when he quickly ripped it from his mouth upon seeing me and stuffed in under his pillow.

So aside from one small moment of binky contraband, my son's weened off the bink, mommy's learned to live without it and all is well. And all of this because of my wonderful husband. Daddy's - just like mommies, but tougher. Who knew?