End of an Era

My Middlest has lost her lisp.
One day about 2 weeks ago she decided it was time.
So she just did it.

It took about 5 days of constantly stopping herself- a conversation with her was impossible. She'd start a sentence, and then overthink every word. Very cute. Very frustrating... for all of us.
Then she began to speak with more fluidity- but she came to me in tears when her mouth hurt from working so hard. It never occurred to me that changing a habit like that would cause so much pain. I gave her some Advil and told her how proud I was of her... but I wanted to cry at her determination, and tell her it was unnecessary. Except that it was... very....

My Middlest was actually born with a lisp.
When I tell people that, they think I'm exaggerating in the way that parents say ,
"He was running before he could walk, really"
or "She slept through the night from the very beginning, really"
...yeah, uh huh, right, really.
But I swear that as I held her that first night in the hospital, and watched her tiny mouth work its way around her fist, that her tongue was already in the way. When she cried, when she would nurse, when she would coo and gurgle- she led with her tongue. And I remember asking the pediatrician if she thought this was going to be an issue, and she looked at me like I was one of those ultra-paranoid mothers who worries about leprosy, and told me that she thought I could wait and see, but there was no "malformation of her palate". Okey doke.
Still, I was right, as my Middlest began to talk, she did, in fact, still lead with her tongue- and the adorable lisp it produced could not have been sweeter.

Over the years, we have occasionally called attention to a particular word or phrase- encouraging her to repeat it properly and praising her for trying. But for the most part, we totally ignored it (while secretly enjoying her little words). We had a few well-meaning (probably) friends and relatives tell us to get her speech therapy, but I really never felt that was necessary.
I just knew she would change it when she was ready.
At almost 8 years old, she IS.

She walked into my bedroom and said, "Mom, I sound like Daffy Duck." No anger, no embarrassment- just matter-of-fact. Maybe a little annoyance.
And I said, "Well, you know that's just a habit your mouth has. I think you can teach your mouth to stop lisping if you work at it." not at all sure, but hopeful.

I suggested she read out loud from her favorite books, and that we could go to the library to find some good "S" poems.... but in the end, what did it was her desire to sing along with the latest family favorite Musical "Wicked". My middlest can sing (she sang before she could talk, really), and now has discovered that she can sound like Glinda and Elphaba, instead of Daffy Duck.

Yesterday, we watched my Middlest have a whole conversation with her brother about Star Wars and the Revenge of the Sith- try saying that with a lisp.... but she didn't have to , it was GONE.

My Middlest, my Baby Girl
Did it on her own.
I am so proud of her.
And so
thad.