Have you known (or were/are you) an adult habitual thumb sucker?

When I worked in dentistry, a hygienist said that her adult husband still sucked his thumb. I thought that was strange, as she should have/could have broken him of that, even if it took a "crib" which is an orthodontic appliance to curb thumb sucking.

I just found out that a motocross sports announcer that I am highly fond of still sucks her thumb. I won't knock it, I just don't get the habit beyond age five.

I don't think I even got it as a kid...I'd see the cartoons, the old cartoons where the mother tells her son he's too old for it and he still does it, and I'd kind of jokingly do it too but that was just never something I did. And I have no memories of pacifiers, it seems the things most commonly in my mouth were baby bottles and from there, thermoses.

don't know....i'll ask my mama

I wasn't then and so am not now. Sucking is a common reflex in humans and other primates. If you put something in an infant's mouth, it will suck on it (breastfeeding). Sometimes children don't grow out of it and the reflex becomes ingrained. Except for the social stigma (and potential for buck teeth) there really aren't serious issues. Unless you never wash your hands.

Here in bubblefuck GA, I have known a few silly ass teenage boys who for whatever never outgrew that ish. They look like baboons.

I had a friend that I grew up with that sucked her thumb and twirled her hair at the same time up until she was a young teenager. I remember her mom always yelling at her to stop sucking the thumb!

RedBedroom wrote:When I worked in dentistry, a hygienist said that her adult husband still sucked his thumb. I thought that was strange, as she should have/could have broken him of that, even if it took a "crib" which is an orthodontic appliance to curb thumb sucking.

I just found out that a motocross sports announcer that I am highly fond of still sucks her thumb. I won't knock it, I just don't get the habit beyond age five.

When my daughter was like two, her mother and I both forbade her from continuing that habit. She resisted, but we kept on her to stop, until finally she kicked it. Post toddler thumb suckers just never had parents who were strict with them about stopping it during that stage. I never knew a grown thumb sucker, but I recall being in middle school and having a classmate who still sucked his thumb (and he was clowned for it.)

I have a cousin who is 25 and still sucks her thumb. I never did it. Never got into that habit. I guess it's something that you sometimes don't outgrow.

There's a kid in the school I was at this past year who still sucks his thumb. He's in grade 6. If the kids notice, he'll really be teased, but so far they haven't as he doesn't do it very often.