Aint that the truth.
Yesterday, Ali said, "Hey, Mom, wanna know why I bite my fingers? Cause you do!"
She's right. I bite my fingers. More like "chew" my fingers. Many times to the point of shedding blood. I can't remember when I started...sometime in childhood...and it's just become a really, bad, annoying, strong habit.
I've tried to quit many times: Band-Aids, lotion, willpower, bad-tasting-stuff. I have been successful for awhile, but then I find myself slipping back into it; whether it be because of stress, boredom, or just subconsciously.
So today is day #1 of quitting cold turkey. It's been 9 hours, and I'm holding strong at about 97%.
Do I think chewing fingers is the worst of the worst? No way. Do I even think it's wrong of me to do? Not really. But, my friend is right, kids see it all. And I don't really want my kids to pick up on a habit they could otherwise avoid if I can help it. There's a lot in this world I'm not going to be able to help when it comes to them; I accept that. But surely I can help Ali think through stress management, time management, body management, any-kind-of management before she automatically goes to finger-biting.
Do as I do, not as I say. In this case, I think it should read, "Do as I say, not as I do."
Hopefully I can turn that around.
Stay tuned.
