Vices of Thumb Sucking
A boy had
reached four without giving up the habit of sucking his thumb, though his mother had tried
everything from bribery to reasoning to painting it with lemon juice to discourage the
habit. Finally she tried threats, warning her son that, "If you don't stop sucking
your thumb, your stomach is going to blow up like a balloon."
Later that day, walking
in the park, mother and son saw a pregnant woman sitting on a bench. The four-year-old
considered her gravely for a minute, then spoke to her saying, "Uh-oh... I know what
you've been doing."