Binkie Free

Yesterday we decided it was time the Eliza give up her binkie...well give up isn't quite how it went.
I talked with her about being a big girl and not needing a binkie anymore, but she responded with "Big girls need binkies." Then she told me that "Binkies are for girls and not boys." (Neither one of her brothers have them). I can't remember the other excuses she gave for not needing to give up her binkie. I knew that I couldn't really talk her out of needing her binkie (becuase I used it as a security for me,too) so I handed the process over to Dad.
Daddy tried to get her to cut off the end of the binkie, but she wouldn't have anything to do with it. So he did it himself. When she found the binkie without the sucking end on it she was MAD. I asked her what had happened and she told me that Daddy cut it off. (She is a smart kid because he didn't do it in front of her.) She held on to the broken binkie for quite some time. I think she was mourning or something. And then she let it go. I didn't have her lay down for a nap so that she would be really tired at bedtime and go to sleep quickly without her binkie. This seemed to work because although she asked for it at bedtime and even started to cry a little bit, I offered to sing her a few songs and she was out! She only woke up once during the night asking for it. I just said that it was broken and tried to help her get back to sleep. We have banned naps from her for a couple of days so that she can really get used to not having a binkie...so far so good and hopefully we can potty train next!