How Thumb-Sucking and Bedwetting Made Me a Better Parent

That’s a four-year-old me in the arms of my dad, looking at a big ole bear at the San Diego Zoo.

I thought he was Yogi Bear. And, according to my father, I was promising Yogi that I’d never suck my thumb again. Ever. A promise I broke time and time again for the next couple of years.

Thumb sucking. And bed wetting. Parts of my childhood memories that are etched in stone.

In all honesty, the thumb-sucking wasn’t necessarily a good or bad memory. I’d classify it a comforting one. Hey, I liked my blanket and I liked my thumb! No excuses.

But the bedwetting? Well, that wasn’t fun. And I’m sure it was even less fun for Mom and Dad. You’ll be glad to know, however, it finally ended.

Childhood memories. They all hold a lesson. And for me, the lessons from being a thumb-sucker and a bedwetter had nothing to do with the specific issues at hand. They had everything to do, however, with how my parents worked though it.

They didn’t make them a big deal.

Which made them, for me, not a big deal.

And that – at least for me – is one of the most valuable parenting take-aways my parents ever gave me. They did a pretty great job of knowing what was worth getting a little nutty over. The rest of it, they let bounce off. And roll away.

It impacted my confidence.

It helped me to listen to them – when they needed me to.

And it was part of a lifelong relationship based on trust.

Funny.

All that good stuff from a little thumb-sucking and some nighttime accidents.