My five-and-a-half-year-old is an enthusiastic thumbsucker (same one who still loves his lovey like no other). Always has been. All of the literature suggests that most kids naturally wean themselves by four. Oh well. He doesn’t seem to indulge in school, but the thumb comes out the minute he is tired or hurt, and stays in his mouth most of the night. Though my husband insists that there is a direct correlation between the thumb and my babying our younger son, I say if I had a thumb that gave me such instant pleasure, I’d happily live with an overbite for the rest of my life. But that’s me and, when push comes to shove, I don’t really want my child to have an overbite. While I haven’t really tried anything to get him to stop, I wonder if anyone has suggestions for gentle interventions before full-time headgear becomes an unwelcome accessory at the freshman dance.