Goodbye "B"

Jack received a "Taggie" blanket as a gift when he was just a tiny baby.  He VERY quickly became attached to that blanket, and it never left his side.  He eventually lost the original blanket in a store, and panic ensued.  I drove to about a dozen different stores looking for a replacement, and found one.  A few weeks later, he lost that one, too.  After about the third $20 dollar replacement plus gas for the round trip to Memphis to buy it, I decided I was just going to make them myself.  I went to the fabric store and got enough fabric to make a half dozen so if he lost it again, I would have plenty of replacements.

Jack became REALLY addicted (I use that word because that's what fits.  "Attached" doesn't hit the mark.) to his blanket, which he eventually started calling his "B" when he was old enough to speak.  His "B" went with him everywhere.  I mean EVERYWHERE.  People would ask me "What happens if he forgets it at home?"  Well, I don't know.  He's never ever forgotten it at home.  I've not seen him without his "B" since he was old enough to carry it.

It's always bothered me that he totes that thing around with him everywhere,  even when he was little.  We've never had a boy with a pacifier or anything like that, so this blanket was weird for me.  I didn't get it.  But Jack needed his "B", so I let him alone with it.

I mean, he will eventually outgrow it, right?

Sigh.  Or not.  Over the past six months I've desperately tried to wean Jack of his "B".  We started with allowing him to bring it places, but just leave it in the car if we went inside anywhere.  He would try and stuff it down his shirt thinking I wouldn't notice, or he would put it inside my purse to sneak it inside.  If we did make it in the store without it, he would be miserable and then I would get miserable really quickly.  It was just miserable all the way around.  I tried to be sympathetic but it was tough.  I just wanted to take it away cold turkey and be done with it.  The Coach thought that was a horrible idea, and it really didn't bother him in the slightest that our almost five-year old was carrying around a blanket.  

Jack had it bad for the "B".  His addiction had grown past just toting one "B" around.  He needed multiple "B"s to get the job done now.  It got to the point where if he needed both hands to do something (eat, play a video game, color, etc.) that he would stuff his "B" down his shirt so he wouldn't have to put it down.   It was out of control.  It had to stop.

This picture was taken right after Jack woke up one morning.  He gathered up every "B" he could find and brought them in the living room with him.  

I finally put my foot down and said it was time to shake the "B".  The Coach and I discussed our options and then attempted to talk to Jack.  Jack was hysterical.  I mean, HYSTERICAL.  There was no reasoning with him.  The Coach and I are pretty tough parents, but The Coach didn't have the heart to rip the "B" out from under him like that.  (I was totally OK with tossing them all in the trash, just for the record.)  So The Coach and I decided to bribe him.  Yes, bribe.  We don't bribe.  Like ever.  But there was no other way.

There had been long discussions about the boys wanting a Wii.  They had a Wii once, and Jack stuffed some coins inside without anyone knowing, and the next time the game got turned on, it was ruined.  The boys were both devastated, but we told them it wasn't ever going to be replaced.  When Justice started making and selling bracelets, he wanted to buy his own Wii with the money he made.  We told him no.  So he asked for a Wii for his birthday.  Again, NO.  Jack missed the Wii more than anybody.  He talked about it all the time.  He realllllllyyyyy missed it.  So we bartered with him.  

Us:  "Hey Jack, it's time to give up the "B" buddy."

Jack:  "NEVER" (starts crying)

Us:  "If we buy you a Wii for your birthday will you give it up?"

Jack (very hesitantly):  "I don't think so."

A few days passed and he came to us and said:

"OK.  I will give up my "B" if I can get a Wii for my birthday.  But only if I can still sleep with my B.  I will leave it in my bed everyday."

Ahhhh, a little negotiator he is...  We agreed.  He dreaded the days leading up to his birthday, and smothered himself with his "B" up until the very last minute.

When we were getting ready for church on his birthday, I reminded him that he had to leave his "B" at home.  He quickly asked me "Are you SURE you got me a Wii?  Because if you didn't I'm keeping my "B".  HA!  He survived his first day at church without his "B" and did just fine.  We are now on day three without our "B" and he's doing pretty well.  There have been some rough moments, but no major meltdown yet.

While we won't get in the habit of bribing the kids to get them to do what we want, sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do.