Teenage Thumb sucking

[ForRealViewer]

My son is 15 and has sucked his thumb since birth. He has never wanted to stop so my husband and I have left it alone.

He sucks his thumb when he is at home preoccupied with an activity like reading a book.

Are other kids doing this too? How have you managed your child's thumb sucking?

I did till I was 21, I didn’t find out recently in my mid 50’s this was likely due to being severely tongue tied (the brain trying to get a natural tongue suction to the roof of the mouth feeling that couldn’t be achieved naturally)
Meant I suffered from frequent ear infections as a child, deformed my pallet/teeth and now have jaw issues.

Genetically my DD had the same issues and we tried really hard to avoid thumb sucking.

I would start by getting him assessed by a good myofunctional therapist.

I’m well into my 30s and I’ve never stopped sucking my thumb. Apparently I swallow strangely due to it, other than that no issuess.

Is there a good reason you want him to stop?

Im 36 and still suck my thumb and don’t care who knows. I was never bothered as a teen or teased either as it was just part of who I am. I’m curious to the reason that you want him to stop.

I am in my 50s and I still do it. The moment i'm distracted, in it goes.

You say he doesn't want to stop. Then leave it. If and when it bothers him, he can train himself to stop.

For those of you who still suck your thumbs, what does thumb sucking do that makes you like it so much?

I didn't know it was so common. I thought it was something kids grew out of eventually.

I went to school with a boy who sucked his thumb so much it was half the size of his other thumb and really dried out. Plus it made his front teeth jut out. I would try to stop the habit if I was you.

I sucked my thumb well into my 30s. One of my nieces, mother of 2 still does.

I stopped when I became conscious of doing it I suppose. It’s not something you think about, just something you do and very normal and comforting to those that do.

You have done the right thing by leaving it alone. I think most thumb suckers are left alone.

We humans have so many habits; nail biting, nose picking (I know an adult who still does this and…yes…he eats it), hair twirling, leg shaking, licking lips….

DS, 17, still does it at home when reading. He has been for an assessment for a brace but obviously they won’t look at it until he stops. He can’t stop. I have nothing for him as I sucked mine until my late 20s and then suddenly just stopped - it seemed to coincide with meeting DH - no idea why, he never bothered about it.

DD (now 15) wanted to stop about 5 years ago so we paid her to stop and it worked….

I sucked my thumb at night til I was 16 and it was so hard to give up, realised in later years it was probably a ND stim for me as well as a comfort and habit. Also used to bite my nails as a kid and skin pick, which I still do. When I hit about 13 I was teased by friends at a sleepover for sucking my thumb, so told everyone after that I’d given up doing it. I actually carried on at night in secret til I was 16 and got my first boyfriend. At that point I stopped because I had visions of us eventually spending the night together and him being horrified, it was so hard to give up though!

Dd was told she couldn’t have braces until she stopped sucking her thumb, the orthodontist also gave us a lecture about it potentially interfering with her jaw development and breathing, and scared the living daylights out of her when she said some kids have to have jaw surgery to correct things. She put a plaster on her thumb when she went to bed that night and stopped right away. That was about 18 months ago and she says she still misses sucking her thumb, definitely not an easy habit to stop as it’s such a comfort thing and so often linked to falling asleep as well.

I gave up once I got braces (so the opposite thinking to some dentists nowadays it seems), aged 15/16 I forget now. But I used to know the exact date for years.

i have occasionally as an adult tried it and it’s comforting but it it’s not habit forming anymore.
although I do twirl my hair, if it’s down, just realised reading other posts that this could be a similar issue. Somehow that’s socially more acceptable.

I’d leave it, unless you’re out in public when he might appreciate a reminder, as it’s easy to forget you’re doing it. Only once you’ve talked it through with him and he’s expressed a desire to stop.

My sister is 42 and still does it when she’s tired.

My ex wife used to do it occasionally.

It has been suggested to me that she is Autistic - I am not qualified to comment on that although the evidence is quite strong, so it may well have been 'Stimming'

I am in my 50’s and still very occasionally suck my thumb. Usually only when I’m very tired - but very rare now. I was a serious thumb sucker into my 20’s then gradually stopped. Not really sure why.
DD is/was a thumb sucker. Not sure if she still does but suspect like me it is an occasional thing (she’s now mid 20’s). DS didn’t suck his thumb but had a dummy - very difficult to wean him off that but we managed in the end.
it does appear that for whatever reason we all needed the comfort from thumb (or dummy) sucking but we all pretty much stopped in the end.
i would add that both my kids have amazing teeth - so no issues there. Mine - not so much when I was younger but as I have aged they seem to have sorted themselves out and are now straight.
Personally I would say if there’s no harm being done I wouldn’t force the issue.

My DS is nearly 15 and still a thumb sucker, as am I. Not related to any neurodiversity, it’s just comforting. I worry how he will be perceived as he gets older though.

He likely now has jaw issues, there's always damaged from thumb sucking, especially at that age.