21 days for the Princess to Change

Once upon a time there was a princess who loved something very much.  When she was uneasy, sad, lonely, hurt, tired, or even just feeling bored, she would seek out what she loved so dearly and it was always there for her.  Her dependable companion would always make her feel better.  She never, ever wanted it to leave her.

However, as the princess got older, she started to realize that maybe she was getting too old for what she loved.  The princess' parents started to tell her that she would have to learn to leave her companion behind.  She was 3 years old now and it was time she learned to be a big girl.  Her mother told her that the thing she loved was started to harm her teeth and the roof of her mouth.  Yes, they told her, it ws time that she stop sucking her thumb.  If she could learn to leave this habit behind, the princess was offered a shiny, new, pink bike. 

Well, the princess really loved bicycles and had longed for a pretty, pink one of her own for a long time, but she still dearly loved her thumb.  She would speak grandiously about how she was going to stop sucking her thumb, but when the sad times came, she just couldn't help herself.  Along with her beloved thumb, the pincess also had a beloved pink blanket -- her "night night."  The blanket had been lovingly hand-crocheted by a family friend into the perfect length with the softest yarn and was just right for weaving her fingers through the holes while she sucked her thumb.  Even just the feeling of any knitted or crocheted blanket brought about a yearning to suck her thumb (which had led to her being nicknamed the "blanket-stealer" a year previously.  So, her parents attempted to detach the princess from her precious "night-night," but this in itself was unbearable to the princess.  Her parents were unsure what to do next. 

Little did they know that the problem would be taken out of their hands.  One day, the princess awoke to an invasion by a nasty virus that covered her whole mouth in sores.  It was a terrible two weeks for the princess and because it was so painful, her comforting thumb was often in her mouth.  This, unfortunately, made the virus spread to her thumb.  Because the virus was contagious, her mother covered the sore on her thumb with bandaids in an attempt to keep it from spreading.  This, of course, became a problem when it came to sucking her beloved left thumb.  To overcome this difficulty, she made the easy substitution: her right thumb.  Although the fit was not quite as good, it was an agreeable second alternative.  Sadly for the princess, her mother didn't see this as an acceptable option and quickly covered that apendage with a bandaid as well (to avoid spreading the persistent germs to that thumb as well).  The poor princess was heartbroken and sad without her thumbs to suck on and would cry to have the bandaids removed, but she was also old enough to realize how important it was to keep the virus from spreading.  She had had enough of it by that time.  Fortunately for the princess, she still had another source of consolation: her pecious "night-night."  She soon realized that she could find solace there, as well, merely by kneeding her fingers through it.  Several days had gone by before the princess' mother realized that she had a golden opportunity sitting right in front of her. 

It has often been said that it takes 21 days to change a habit.  A calendar was made and stickers and fruit snacks ("gummies") were purchased.  For every day that the princess successfully refrained from sucking her thumb, she could put a sticker on the calendar and get a gummy treat. When the sores on her thumb had healed, the real test came.  Could she keep it up without the help of the bandaids?  Oops, it was really tempting to put that thumb back in.  The bandaids went back on for another week.  Finally, a week went by without bandaids.  The verdict?  YES!  She could do it!  She could really change her habit!! 

On day 23, the princess went on a shopping expedition with her father.  When they got home, she had something to show her mother: 

Congratulations, my princess!  You deserve it!  I am so proud of you!