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.”
<><><>