Tuesday, June 27, 2006

The Law of the Pacifier

Last night, I put Reilly down for bed and left the room. She started crying right away, but that didn’t worry me—she often cries for a minute to settle herself down. However, this time her cries continued to escalate, so I was forced to return to her room to see what all of the hubbub was about.

In the darkened room, I saw Reilly standing up in her crib. Her face was damp with tears, and a little wet spot had formed at her feet where the tears had dripped from her chin to the mattress.

My daughter then did something that was so brilliant and yet so sad: she reached into her mouth and handed me her pacifier.

The Overcast household Law of the Pacifier states that Reilly may have her pacifier at naptime and bedtime only. In order for Reilly to exit her crib, she must first relinquish the pacifier.

Normally, when I go in to pick up Reilly after a nap, I first take out her pacifier and drop it to the mattress before removing her from the crib. Last night, when Reilly offered me her pacifier, she was sending me a clear, nonverbal message:

“Daddy, please take my pacifier. I want to come out of the crib!”

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