Growing up was fun. Some Childhood memories linger long while some seems to be forgotten but some leave an indelible mark and jeez! can't just take them off our necks. Back then, aside having phobia for dark rooms, I made my hands/fingers my friends. Weird right? Yeah! You can't separate my them from my body. After showing the street of how terrorizing we can be and maybe finishing chores at home and becoming somewhat idle, they(my fingers) come alive.
[source](children 
)
Slowly and steadily, I find three of my fingers buried deep in my buccal cavity. I suck and ogle at them with pleasure and as if my life depends on it. I can't just seem to fathom how I enjoyed sucking my fingers. I do this without even thinking about it. At same time, my other fingers on my hair were like "una go hear word". I pinched at my hair, pulling some curls away. I won't say terrible because as at then, it looked relaxing to me.
This lingered on for long and became intense. My grandmother and others took note. Then came different forms of advices, cautions, rains of curses and beatings. I guess I didn't stop. Doing all this to a child who is stubborn and seems relentless, can prove abortive. They tried all manner of methods to make me stop but I was like "y'all wasting your time". Then the devil struck. The devil. At night, while men slept, a person with too much sense laced my fingers with bitter leaf. It was well orchestrated. I didn't know. The devil must have smiled then.
At the break of dawn, I couldn't remember if I cried or not but one thing is for sure, I felt irritated. My fingers felt defiled,like they were leprous. What bitterness/taste I felt after trying to suck them. I cried/complained and as usual, I was comforted with in the manner of "beating a child with one hand and patting the back with the other (not to cry)". My fingers were washed and off the bitter taste go. I never let go. I resumed my finger sucking coupled with my pinching of hair. But grandma never gave up. The bitter leaf technique seems to be working and it eventually paid off. I stopped sucking my fingers.
Did I hear you say "yaaayyy!!". Yeah! I stopped unconsciously and since then, I can't remember doing that but little did they know that another subtle aspect hasn't been dealt with, hair pinching/pulling. This grew with me and till now, I find myself sometimes tugging, pinching or pulling at curls of hair on my head. It has caused me some embarrassing moments like leaving an area of my head devoid of hair with people noticing and having to visit the saloon to align my hair. Well, I'm trying sometimes to resist any urge to pull at my hair and I'll overcome.
More on Thumb sucking and Hair pulling.
THUMB SUCKING
Thumb sucking is usually prominent in humans. Some animals have also been observed to suck their thumb such as chimpanzees and lemurs. The act of thumb sucking can serve as relief to a child and such child can derive utmost pleasure which can serve as an alternative to that(pleasure) derived from breastfeeding. Thumb sucking can start before birth. At age 2-3,is considered normal for thumb sucking. It stops at the age of 5. Some children continue with the habit.
Prolonged thumb sucking can cause a defect in teeth formation at the age of 6-8,affecting the shape of dentition. Children can be prone to infections through sucking and can have difficulty in swallowing and speech. To stop this habit in children, you can do the following ;
- Give them praises for not sucking rather than shouting them.
- Engage the child in activities he/she likes. Thumb sucking might be due to boredom.
- Using a coarse bandage can help.
- Over the counter bitter liquid can be helpful.
HAIR PULLING
This is also known as Trichotillomania in psychiatry. This is a mental disorder which is characterized by removing or pulling out of one's hair from the head or other areas of the body where there is hair growth. About 1-4% of persons are known to be affected. This disorder starts at childhood and has been known to be present in family histories.
This disorder can be effectively controlled by ;
- wearing of a bandana during bedtime.
- praise yourself after some time or hours of no hair pulling.
- A support group can be very helpful. Join one.
- Avoid caffeine at bedtime to help you sleep.
- Engage in activities that can keep the hand busy.
- Develop a positive attitude about yourself and go see a psychologist.