The binkie battle

I stressed over everything as a young mom. I mean everything.  I was so insecure in my abilities as a mom. The worst part is that I was easily influenced by others who gleefully dispensed advice like it was pez. Now I look back and think why? Why did I stress out about the little things? I guess because, at the time the little things seems so big.  Hindsight is 20/20 and I have learned alot in 16 years. Mostly it is in the form of a decision tree in my head. First level, is it a big thing worth stressing over or a little thing that is nothing to worry about. I'm at level 1 about the binkie.

Alex turns 3 this week and he still uses a pacifier.  Mostly at bedtime, but also in the car, at home, at Nick's football games.  Ok, I admit it. The only place he doesn't have a paci is at preschool. As I recall, and I should say my memory is quite rose colored with gentle harps playing in the background, Nick used a pacifier and he didn't have any trouble giving it up. He didn't take one with him to college so I'm chalking that up in the mom win category. Alex, however doesn't act like it is going bye bye anytime soon. I better add looking up College rules about binkies to my to do list. Alex's security item is that binkie.  He doesn't carry a stuffed animal or a blanket.  When something "toddler traumatic" happens in his life, not being allowed a second cookie for example, he turns to his binkie to make it ok. There is a chorus of binkie haters out there in the world who would chastise me for even giving him one in the first place. Luckily I listen to pandora where I can create my own music channel to drowned them out.  Even Alex's pediatricians gave me conflicting advice. One said get rid of it by his first birthday. Well, that didn't happen.  One told me not to worry about it, he would give it up on his own. This was also the doctor who praised me for catching Alex's case of thrush early.  She looks and sounds like Jane Lynch. She totally rocks!

So here is my thought. Whether I should or shouldn't have given him a binkie is irrelevant. He has it. Giving it up, is it a little thing? Yes and no. To Alex it's a big thing, to me, not so much. So, I'm gonna give it a while longer. Alex is not ready to see it go, and frankly I'm not stressing.