Thursday, June 11, 2009

Learning A Lesson

Today, it was Andrew's turn to travel with me to the dental office. At his last check-up, he showed early signs of cavity formation...so, we knew he was getting more than just a cleaning today. Well, it's official, Andrew is my first child with cavities and the first of my children to receive fillings (from me). Andrew actually had 4 very, very small cavities. Two were even on the same tooth, but on different surfaces (facial and occlusal). Andrew has always been a child with a "sweet tooth" and one who learned early how to climb the pantry shelves in secrecy to retrieve the goodies of his choice. Unfortunately, because these treats were taken in secret, the sweets he consumed sat on his teeth for extended periods of time before being brushed away.
After taking a little mini tour of the dental office and checking out the prize drawer, this morning, he hopped up in the dental chair and took the shots I gave him like a man. :-)) Not once did he cry or wimper or even flinch while being given needles or while being drilled... He was very easy to work on, and I was so proud of him! When I completed his procedure, however, I felt that the time was right to reinforce a lesson. "Andrew, have we learned a lesson today?" I asked. "You had FOUR cavities filled today. That's a lot, buddy. We really need to make sure that you're brushing your teeth after eating sweets. You can't be sneaking treats without Mommy and Daddy knowing, right? Do you think you learned your lesson?" I prompted. He sat there in the dental chair with the left side of his face completely numb, pondering my first words. "Wow, FOUR cavities! ...So, do I get four prizes, then?"

3 comments:

  1. I LOL when I read Andrew's response! Sometimes our well meaning lessons just don't hit the mark like we expect them to!
    Gee, I'm going to have to really watch our Darcy...she's our sneaky, sweet-toothed girl...but in our favor, she LOVES brushing her teeth & wants to do brush them many times a day!

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  2. Ginger,

    I loved this story, it was so cute I laughed out loud. Precious little Andrew.

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  3. Hi Ginger! Thanks for stopping by my blog. I can answer your photos-on-the-blog questions... just send me your email address. This was a cute post!! You have a smart little guy. Blessings!

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