The Dummy Fairy

Sometime around Christmas, I started mentioning the Dummy Fairy - in case you aren't aware, this is the fairy who comes and takes away dummies, leaving a present behind. At 3 and a half Freyja still has a dummy at night. This doesn't bother me - it is restricted to upstairs and she only uses it at night and when we're lounging around in bed on the weekends. I occasionally bring up the Dummy Fairy but haven't really pushed it. But today Freyja informed me that she wanted the Dummy Fairy to come tonight. In fact, she was absolutely insistent - so her 3 blue dummies have been left outside her bedroom door. I feel rather alarmed by the whole thing - I've realised that she is not the only one who has been reluctant to give up the dummy. Whether it's the fact that it is one more sign that she is less my baby, or I'm just nervous about if she is actually going to be able to sleep with out it, I'm not sure. A bit of both I suspect.

I kept saying that she didn't have to do it, and she could even get up and take them back if she changed her mind - the Dummy Fairy would understand. But she was pretty insistent, despite being obviously upset, and it was rather heartbreaking to listen to her saying 'I just wasn't to go to sleep' as she lay in her bed, dummy-less for the first time. I tucked her in and told her she was very brave - she obviously has a lot more willpower than her mother -I was ready to stuff that dummy back in her mouth at the first sign of her wavering.

It remains to be seen as to whether she will last the night. I'm fully expecting to go back up and find at least one dummy removed from the little pile.