Just thought I’d write about a lifelong habit I have. Since I was a baby, I still suck my thumb (I’m 41 now). But I always wonder, why didn’t I grow out of that habit or is it an insecurity thing ? Is it just a habit or have I always felt a sense of insecurity ? Is it an insecurity thing, when it goes beyond the normal age to stop this habit. Well to me it is an insecurity thing and it gives me comfort. I only became more aware of what people think as I became an adult sucking my thumb, e.g if there is no one around, I will suck my thumb, but if people are around then I will have to stop myself. But it depends the situation though e.g a stressful anxious situation, I wouldn’t care who is around, I suck my thumb in front of mental health professionals too sometimes, it doesn’t bother me, I figure they would understand really, especially if I’m in a stressful mood.
But ultimately and importantly, I have always had this habit of sucking my thumb because it helps me sleep too, good job no one is with me (when I sleep), they might laugh at me hahaha… But really, what does it mean, I do have my own theories about myself regarding this, e.g security, comfort, eases bad memories and so on… I won’t fall asleep without sucking my thumb though, it’s always been that way. Another thing too it has to be my right thumb only, not my left thumb because it wouldn’t have the same effect, so it always has to be my right thumb.
It would be good to know how other people feel who still suck their thumb in adulthood, what does it mean to them.
So I’ve been sucking my thumb since I was a baby, and after a few years my parents kept trying to make me stop doing it, because it was beyond the normal age, I remember when I was about 6 or 7, my mum took to me the doctor to see what advice she can get about me still sucking my thumb at that age, and the doctor said something about trauma and stress, my mum was saying she wasn’t aware of any trauma or stress… It’s true though, to this day she still isn’t aware of my traumas back then because I won’t tell her. I should also mention (embarrassingly) aswell as that doctor talking about my habit of still sucking my thumb he also mentioned bed wetting, past the normal age that a child would still do that, I got over that at the time of course, but never got over sucking my thumb. Anyway, it was a pretty difficult time when my mum took me to the doctor that time talking about me and I was just sitting there… sucking my thumb !
My parents tried all kinds of silly ways to try get me to stop sucking my thumb as a child. One time, my dad put chilli powder on my thumb, as if that was going to stop me, no of course that wouldn’t stop me ! Another time, I was so scared because he took me to a butcher shop and we walked in and I was crying because he said the butcher will cut my thumb off if I don’t stop sucking my thumb, obviously I believed him at the time… It still didn’t stop me though.
The children I knew at nursery and infant school who did suck their thumb too, they all got out of the habit when we all went onto the next years of school, but I didn’t get out of the habit, but they did, the ones who had the same habit.
Even now, decades later, my mum is beyond telling me to stop sucking my thumb, she just has to accept this lifelong habit of mine, and if my dad was still alive, I bet he wouldn’t bother telling me anymore either… And also, my brother doesn’t bother telling me anymore either. I asked my mum whether my brother had the same habit as a baby / child, she said no he never ever started sucking his thumb. My brother is 5 years older than me by the way.
Mind With A View 