Tag: #Dentist

  • ODDS and ENDS: Dentist, I Want My A/C, and Ice Cream Treat

    (It’s miles away…)

    The kid went to the dentist yesterday. Luckily, she enjoys going, so we never had to deal with any anxiety with people poking her teeth. And we’ve been seeing this dentist for three years now, so we know each other and they have a solid file on the kid. In fact, at some point, the kid told them that she wanted to be a dentist, which they added to her file, and was brought up immediately as soon as she sat in the chair. I’m not sure if that is still a goal of hers, but everyone there thought it was awesome that there was a kid that wanted to be one of them. Or maybe they’re all really nice to all the kids…

    I bought an air conditioner from a big box retailer who I’m not naming as of yet. It is a super nice and fancy window unit that we had to budget for, but we were due for an upgrade. Anyway, it was promised to be delivered today, but when I check their website, my delivery status has not advanced beyond “order received.” It is a bit troubling as we still have to get through the “shipped” and “out for delivery” stage with only 11 1/2 hours until estimated received time expires. This is going to be in the back of my mind all day today… (UPDATE: I received an email and a text message from the retailer saying that the delivery date has changed. The text said the a/c is coming on Monday, while the email says today…)

    Serving Suggestion: Vanilla ice cream in a bowl, topped with Reese’s Magic Shell, then topped on that with crushed up Reese’s Cereal. Enjoy!

  • Parent Fail

    Yesterday, I took the kid to the dentist, which she thinks of as a fun thing to do. She was nervous to go to the dentist at first, but we talked to her about who the dentist and the technicians are, and how they are there to help her. What also helps is that we found a great children’s dentist practice in the neighborhood, wherein everybody there is open and friendly, and fun, so the kid loves seeing them every six months.

    But at this latest appointment, the dentist found a little cavity in the kid’s back baby tooth, and it made me feel like a failure as a parent. I didn’t get my first cavity until I was eighteen, and I swear, I ate way worse than my kid does, but still; how did this happen? No matter what the answer, at the end of the day, it’s the parent’s fault, right?. We approve everything she eats, make sure she brushes, and if we allow her to eat bad stuff and not really brush her teeth, that’s on us. But, I thought we were doing a really good job on this.

    Maybe it was a reality check. Maybe we do suck at this parenting thing. Maybe we need to work a little harder.

    But what I think really bothers me is that I didn’t do my job correctly, and she might have to suffer for that. I know it’s just a little cavity… It still feels like I failed.

  • First Time at the Dentist

    Yesterday was the kid’s first experience with going to see a dentist. I know for some people going to the dentist is not an enjoyable experience, and looking at the websites for pediatric dentists, almost all of them have a page dedicated to calming your child’s fears of going to the dentist for the first time.

    My kid saw Little Shop of Horrors, so she didn’t have the healthiest appreciation of the dental profession.

    But I was committed to making sure that the kid would have no issues with going to see the dentist for the first time. I found lots of videos online about kids going to the dentist where they explained the tools, and the procedures. We watched them together, and she very quickly associated that dentists are just like any other doctor, as they are there to help and make you feel better.

    And the pediatric dental office we went to was great! This is what they do, but they were really great at making the kid feel special, and explaining everything to her, so she wasn’t afraid. I could even feel my anxiety rise as the cleaning started, and the kid let the assistant start touching her teeth, but she was fine. It was all fine, and the kid even said that she found the dentist fun!

    I told her how proud I was of her. Then we got home to tell mom all about the dentist, and I added how proud I was of the kid. After dinner, I reminded the kid of how brave she was at the dentist, and that made me proud. As we brushed our teeth before bed, I reminded her how proud I was how she handled the dentist. And then when I tucked her in, she told me to stop telling her how proud I was of her.

    I was laying it on rather thick.

    And I had committed the sin of trying to over parent my child to compensate for my perceived failings in my life. I was a nervous, anxiety riddled child. I worried so much about things, that I often made myself sick to my stomach to where I couldn’t get out of bed. I wish I wasn’t the worry-wart little kid, as it created self-doubt and fear in me, and I have had to work hard as an adult to overcome it. I just wanted to make sure the kid isn’t afraid of things like I was.

    This might be one of those life lessons where as I parent I need to set the example, rather than over praise.