Friday, June 21, 2013

My Habit


I oftentimes wake up in the morning with my left hand in a fist like this.  It's a habit I started when I was 6 years old to help me break another habit . . . my thumb sucking.

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I remember very clearly one night 54 years ago, my father's efforts to stop me from sucking my thumb at night.  I watched as he put some tabasco sauce onto my left thumb and wrapped a band aid around it.  Then he put me to bed.

I was so sad.  What had been a source of comfort for almost my entire life was being denied to me. I lay there quietly sobbing.  After awhile my dad came to check on me. He saw that I was crying and asked me if my mouth was burning.  I lied and said yes.  I didn't have the words to say otherwise. 

He picked me up and took me to the sink and washed out my mouth for me.  He took a washcloth and scrubbed the nonexistent tabasco sauce from my tongue.  He asked if that was better and I said yes.

I don't remember if he removed the band aid or just left it on.  It didn't matter.  I never sucked my thumb again after that.  Instead I would fall asleep with my thumb tucked into the palm of my hand. 


9 comments:

Kalin's Mommy said...

Traumatized! :(

jalna said...

It's okay Mich. If he neva do that I might still be sucking my thumb! LOL!

Leslie's pics said...

It's amazing on how much you remember from your childhood...my memory sucks!!

Erick said...

Cute how your dad cleaned you up, he must have felt bad. If he only knew.

Honolulu Aunty said...

I used to suck my thumb until I was in the 7th grade! and I had buck teeth and lisped. Maybe tabasco and a bandaid on my thumb would have been better.
No Sally Hansen polish on your nails?

jalna said...

Les, there's soooo much that I remember, I wonder if I should write it all down for when my memory goes.

Erick, I think he did feel bad.

LOL!!! That is so funny Honolulu Aunty. I was starting to have buck teeth too! I'm already out of the nail polish phase. My interests come and go quickly. But I do try to do Aunty's nails about once a week, so the polishes are coming in handy.

K and S said...

as a former thumb sucker, I can sympathize with you...

Nippon Nin said...

I think your dad is great! Love this story.

jalna said...

Thanks Kat. I was a smoker for 15 years too. I'm glad I quit that one on my own.

Awww . . . thanks Akemi.