Giving Up

When I like something, I REALLY like it. Food, wine, shopping, you name it. I'm sure I fall in the addictive personality category, and so does it seem does PB.

We never chose to give him a pacifier. I'm not sure whether we would have or not, but the NICU did. Since he was so premature, he didn't yet have a sucking response, and the pacifier (propped up by a teddy bear to keep it in his mouth) was supposed to help. They were the clear, greenish-blue plastic ones that most newborns get in the hospital, use for a few months and then either rid themselves of or move on to bigger pacifiers.

Not PB, he STILL uses the very same ones from the NICU. He calls them "fires" because I hate cutesy words for them like "binky" or "poppy" or whatever and always used the full word. He abbreviated it to "fires", and yes, he has yelled FIRE!!! loudly in many public places when he dropped it.

Years ago we relegated fires to only his bedroom and airplanes, so he's not one of those big kids wondering around the mall with one. But still he has it; and he REALLY likes it. (note that "it" is our supply of about 40 of them). We intended to get rid of it on his 4th bday, but then with the move(s) and all the changes, that just seemed downright mean.

So, with changes still brewing and more to come, I've started putting it in his hands, asking him when he's going to give them up, promising toys, etc. He thinks about, but then tells me how much he REALLY likes them and that he'll never give them up.

Today, he was looking through a toy catalog (he spends hours with these things) when he came upon some musical instruments he REALLY wanted (a saxophone, trumpet and clarinet). I told them he could have them if he gave up his fires.

So all day today he's been walking around say, "I'm giving up!!!" In the grocery store, at the post office, etc. I try to get him to finish his sentence to no avail. God knows what the people around us think.

I thought maybe he was really going to do it this time. Then tonight we were laying on the bed reading books, and he picked one up, "I'm giving up!" he said. I read a few more pages, and he popped it in his mouth.

"I thought you were giving up your fires?" I asked him.

His response: "I'm giving up, but not until next Friday."

Hmmm...sounds familiar.