Without fail, the most maddening part of my morning is brushing my daughter's hair. It's not because it is tangled. It's not because it's unruly or looks messy five minutes later. It's not even because she is fighting me as I brush.
It's because all the hair that is in reach of her mouth has been there, and is now covered in dried spit.
Ironically, this very oral kid rejected pacifiers as a baby. Since then, most everything else that could end up in my daughter's mouth, has. Now at age 5, she sticks hair in her mouth as well as pillows, blankets, shirtsleeves, pencils, books, dolls -- you name it, it's wet and sticky.
But of all the things she sticks in her mouth, it's her hair that bothers me the most. Her newly fluffy, shiny washed hair quickly gives way to a sticky, matted clump framing each side of her lovely little face. (A few family photos have been ruined by her last minute, surreptitious hair sucking, too.)
I must confess: I have a vague memory of sucking and even chewing on my own hair as a kid, but not for long. Because I also have a vague memory that it seemed gross and tasted funny, too. My daughter? You'd think her hair was made of spun sugar.
To date, nothing my husband and I have said or done has solved the problem. We've tried calling her name sharply and staring disapprovingly when we catch her (she whips her hair out, then two minutes later, it's back in). We've tried small punishments, tempting rewards, armchair psychology, and even some public shaming comments (yes, we stooped that low). Nothing has worked. Help!
