Paci Fairy

As most of you know, Caroline sucks a paci, and always has. She has never gotten truly attached to a blanket or animal of any kind, but she has ALWAYS wanted her paci. Which was totally fine with us. Some people get all uptight and freak out if their kid has a paci after age 1. It's just a pacifier people, not a line of cocaine. But by that same token, I didn't want her sucking on it constantly. So when she turned 2, we transitioned to only having our paci when it was time to sleep. She made that change very well and for the most part she has stuck by it. There's been the occasional meltdown over a skinned knee that required a little extra comfort, but other than that, she's good about it. Well now she's 3, and the paci makes her lisp a little bit. Her teeth are also starting to look a little skewed because of it, so we've decided that it's time to get rid of it altogether. We told her that when you turn 3 you have to gather up all your pacifiers and put them in a special box (a green and white polka-dot one from the Cupboard- ha!). Then you leave them on the fireplace for the Paci Fairy. She will come and take your paci box and leave you a prize that you ask her for. So the "Paci Fairy" is going to come to our house very soon - as soon as "She" can acquire the requested prizes from the "paci giver-upper." We asked what she wanted the Paci Fairy to bring her: "a blue Care Bear, and a Princess Tiana dress." How random is that? Tiana is the ONLY costume we are lacking, and of course it's the only one they don't sell in the store. You also can't find Care Bears very easily in stores. So as soon as the UPS Fairy arrives, the Paci Fairy can do her job. We're hoping that she won't struggle too much with this big change. When you've slept with something stuck in your mouth for 3 solid years, it's kinda hard to quit cold turkey. But we're gonna give it a shot. We may have a few sleepless nights for a while, but it'll be worth it when she's pacifier free and her little lisp goes away. So everyone keep your fingers crossed that this works. With Easter coming up, and the Paci Fairy coming soon, I'm gonna laugh when she tells me she wants to leave something random on the fireplace and have a fairy come and trade it for a prize. She's going to think our fireplace is magic.
So from the mommy persepctive, I'm a little sad to see the paci go. My baby isn't a baby anymore, and I kinda want her to stay little. But I'm trying hard not to be one of those moms who babies her kid to the point that it hinders her ability to be independent. Those moms get on my nerves. When you see a woman nursing her 3 year old (I've seen it-GAG!) or a 5 year old sucking a paci or dragging a blanket everywhere she goes, that is a product of a weak parent who didn't want to take the time to help their child learn how to function without it. And let's be honest - everybody just thinks they're weird. I think it's great for kids to have things they love, but there's a point at which constant attachment has to stop. So I'm trying hard not to be that mom. I'm trying hard to help Caroline learn how to function without her paci. We've done it gradually and I think that's going to help. We got her the book Pacificers Are Not Forever and she likes it. Her friends don't have them and her daily use is limited, so the idea of living without a paci isn't completely foreign to her. But still...... this Mommy is, admittedly, a little sad. Goodbye Baby Girl, hello Big Girl....