Ode to the Binky

When I was in junior high, my dad and I would have fun composing haiku as he drove me to gymnastics (25 miles away.) It started out as part of a 6th grade Engligh assignment, and before long Dad and I were composing our thoughts in the 5/7/5 style just for the fun of it.

So, as I did so long ago, I thought I'd use a little haiku to commemorate the removal of (ie, cleansing of) pacifiers from our household. We went cold turkey one night when he threw a fit wanting it when he saw it on the kitchen counter waiting to be cleaned.

Parent educators try to encourage parents to build it up that you are geting rid of them, and a mom even told me her daughter used it as "currency" at Target to buy a doll to sleep with instead. Our method? Cold turkey. It just struck me 2 evenings ago that even if he wasn't done, I was done. Dad showed him the stack of binkies and told him to wave bye bye. Out of the blue. And that was that.

Does he cry himself to sleep? Does he still search under his crib hoping we missed one? Yes, but it is a war of wills. And he slept perfectly until 8 am without it this morning. I never thought I could love a baby product so much and yet at the same time dislike it so much!


Ode to the binky
It was time to say farewell
He misses you lots

~~

Sleep time is harder
No more soothing you provide
Time to say "bye-bye"

~~

Baby nirvana
You were the great silencer,
Purveyor of calm