UmMusa Posted March 31, 2011 Share Posted March 31, 2011 So, if a boy is still sucking his thumb and holding (what is left of) his blankie... is there any chance he'll give it up as an adult?? Just ran across this IRL and I'm just kind of surprised that it's still going this long. I mean, I don't really care, but just kinda makes me go hmmmmmmmmm.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChristusG Posted March 31, 2011 Share Posted March 31, 2011 Actually, I know two girls who sucked their thumbs well into their teenage years....like 15 years old. Thumb sucking is a very hard habit to break. These girls are now in their early 20's. I'm 30 and still sleep with a stuffed animal LOL. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sue G in PA Posted March 31, 2011 Share Posted March 31, 2011 My ds is almost 10. He still sucks his thumb quite frequently. He also carries around, "what's left of a blanket". Both are for comfort and I am guessing some sensory thing. We always ask him to take his thumb out when we catch him and don't allow him to take the blanket out of the house anymore. It worries me, but I know it has a lot to do with psychological issues. Don't blame the parents...it's too easy to do, I know. Have btdt with myself...lots of guilt. But, as I've posted before about ds9...he does have some psych. challenges. And honestly, I kept a blanket all through college and didn't let it go until I got married. I still like to sleep holding onto a section of my comforter or sheet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elise1mds Posted March 31, 2011 Share Posted March 31, 2011 My son is 8 and shows no signs of stopping anytime soon. He goes through phases with it. Sometimes he won't suck for what seems like weeks, and then he'll go weeks where I can't get him to stop. *shrug* I've given up at this point. He'll need braces regardless. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jentancalann Posted March 31, 2011 Share Posted March 31, 2011 ugh. this is not good news. i'm pretty sure my almost 4 year old will not be giving up his thumb any time in the near future. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mesa Posted March 31, 2011 Share Posted March 31, 2011 I gave up my finger sucking when it started embarrassing me... I had to decide to do for myself. No amt of teasing or yucky stuff on my fingers would make me quit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EJCMom Posted March 31, 2011 Share Posted March 31, 2011 (edited) My stepbrother gave it up when he was 14. He used to suck his finger and run what was left of his kiki (his blanket) through his hand. By the time he was 14 all that was left of The Kiki was the satin edging. When my stepbrother was 14 they moved to a new house, and his aunt helped with the move. She sneakily threw the kiki away. It was like he couldn't physically suck his thumb anymore without the kiki. He never knew the true fate of the kiki until he was an adult. Edited March 31, 2011 by EJCMom For some reason I wrote "through" instead of "threw." I'm rather embarassed about it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mktkcb Posted March 31, 2011 Share Posted March 31, 2011 I decided around age 11 to give it up. I used hot sauce to help myself....I was afraid to taste it, so I knew it would work :o). Both my brother and my sister sucked thumb and finger (respectively) till around age 11/12. None of us had braces or buck teeth. I think we didn't pull our teeth with our thumbs the way some kids do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
.... Posted March 31, 2011 Share Posted March 31, 2011 I talked to a school director a few years ago who admitted to me that she also sucked her thumb until 6th grade. :D She said after 6th grade, she just suddenly stopped. My 9 yro still has a "blankie", but she hides it. I think this is more common than people let on, because I dropped her off at a friend's house and was complaining to the mom about it. The mom pulled this nasty little piece of afghan out and said, "Oh, TELL me about it!" Apparently, her kid had one, too. Lol. :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris in VA Posted March 31, 2011 Share Posted March 31, 2011 I sucked my thumb and finger into adulthood. I did horrible damage to my teeth, and I even hyperextended the tendon on the finger so that it permanently bows out along the length of it. There, you know a "deepest, darkest." I think it was sensory and comfort. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Punchie Posted March 31, 2011 Share Posted March 31, 2011 I sucked my thumb until I was 11-12ish. I don't remember why I stopped. I still have the blanket I used rub across my upper lip while sucking my thumb. Well...the remaining shred of it at least. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UmMusa Posted March 31, 2011 Author Share Posted March 31, 2011 Wow! Out came the confessions hehehe I've honestly never seen or heard of it going that far (til age 11). Now I know! Yep, the boy's teeth will need work, and his mother knows that. Now I don't feel so bad that my DD2 still has her pacificer at bedtime. lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Findley2 Posted March 31, 2011 Share Posted March 31, 2011 I love this thread. I always thought I was a freak because I sucked my thumb well into jr.high. I don't remember when I quit. My Dh tells me that I sometimes suck my thumb in my sleep.:blush: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KristinaBreece Posted March 31, 2011 Share Posted March 31, 2011 I took my blankie & my teddy bear to college with me. I'm 25 now, and while the bear is now safely tucked in my cedar chest, I still have my blankie draped over my pillow when I sleep at night. I was never a thumbsucker, though... IDK about that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Murmer Posted March 31, 2011 Share Posted March 31, 2011 My dh sucked his thumb through college...I believe he only stopped because we were going to get married and he didn't want to suck his thumb where I could see it lol...so yes it is possible to quit as an adult Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom-ninja. Posted March 31, 2011 Share Posted March 31, 2011 I don't know. My grandmother never stopped sucking her thumb and rubbing her ear. She died at 87. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goldberry Posted March 31, 2011 Share Posted March 31, 2011 DD12 still sleeps with her blankie. She is able to go a night without it if she needs to though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SweetBean Posted March 31, 2011 Share Posted March 31, 2011 Wow, only one of my kids was a thumb sucker, my older son. I was so glad that he had found a way to self comfort, but at the very tender age of 5 mos. he came down with bronchiolitis (RSV), and was hospitalized for dehydration. After many tries, the only place they dould get the IV in was his right hand. That was the end of his thumb sucking. Somehow, clobbering yourself in the face with an IV board, every time you try to self comfort is less than desirable. I was so mad at the time, now I'm thinking it may not have been a bad thing. My DH was very attached to a blankie when he was little (not sure what age he finally gave it up), but every time it went in the wash it got smaller. My MIL cut a little bit each time until it pretty much disappeared. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lawana Posted March 31, 2011 Share Posted March 31, 2011 My brother sucked his thumb until he left home at 19. By his teens, it only happened subconsciously when he was really engrossed in something. Something about being around a roommate and not his family finally enabled him to kick the habit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
momto3innc Posted March 31, 2011 Share Posted March 31, 2011 So...I guess this means I need to ease up on my almost 4 yo, huh?:) One thing to cross off the list. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.