Teeth…..gotta have them, but at some point when you are a kid, you’ve gotta lose them too!
It seems like it was so easy when I was a kid. Of course I didn’t mind twisting them and bleeding a bit. If I think about that now it makes me cringe. Those damn kids in my classroom that come up to me bleeding or watching them not pay attention to me, all while they are being their own “dentist” in the back of the room……..a little distracting to me. Seriously……..can’t you wait kiddo? Do I have to watch you turn your gums into hamburger? Come on!
However, the anxiety that is running through the veins of my daughter right now makes me want to play “dentist” myself. If I try to come near her though, she runs away…..seriously. Her first tooth, hanging by a thread, mocks me. Damn you tooth! How many times are you going to be in the way of my daughters eating? You cause her to lose sleep, worrying about you hurting as you come out. The Tooth Fairy is coming my dear sir……….the Tooth Fairy is coming. If I can actually get my hands on you, you will be mine….ha ha ha ha!
I haven’t been the best father though. I admit, I have become frustrated enough to use some scare tactics. “Sadie….you could choke on your tooth in the middle of the night”. “You could swallow your tooth and not see it again”. “Your tooth will rot in your mouth”. Hint to parents using scare tactics with a kiddo that has anxiety issues already…….you might not want to do that. It’s kind of like adding a lot of fuel to the fire. Oh…..educating myself and learning the hard way, the life of a parent.
I’m hoping this whole thing ends well. Hopefully, she isn’t scarred for life and will actually not be worse for the next tooth. The deal between all of us? As long as she eats her food without complaining we won’t talk about pulling it out. We’ll see how long this lasts. Please tooth…..just be kind and surrender. Let me find you on her pillow as she wakes up in the morning. Please don’t make me come get you, or else our world will come crashing down for the most minute second it takes me to reach in and pull you.
Only one almost down…..how many to go? Ugh.
