Their teeth, they are arottin'

We took Fruit Bat and Kitty Cat to the dentist yesterday afternoon. Except for Kitty Cat's adorableness in the dental chair, it was an all around crappy experience. Perhaps I should say that the aftermath was crappy.

Poor Fruit Bat had an accident as we were leaving the office (which almost never happens, and for which I hadn't packed any extra undies or pants) and had to make the half hour ride home in wet clothes. Thankfully (or maybe alarmingly), he claimed that the sopping pants didn't bother him. That they, in fact, felt good. It was a hot day, but sitting in pee-soaked britches is not my idea of a spa experience. But then, he's a four-year-old boy.

Turns out that Fruit Bat has a cavity and Kitty Cat has an open bite from her pacifier addiction. We must ditch the pacifier immediately.

"Jay" and I had clashing ideas about this last night. He wanted to yank it altogether and I wanted to spread the paci withdrawal over three nights. His approach probably makes more sense, as she's two and a slow approach probably won't really alleviate the DTs for her.

It's becoming clear to me that I'm the softie and he's the stricter parent. Not always. Occasionally we swap roles and confuse everyone and Fruit Bat and Kitty Cat don't know what to do when I'm frothing at the mouth and "Jay" has his arms open for hugs. But usually they know I'll tolerate more than "Jay" will.

Also, I am now guilt-beleagured about the pacifier. I'm the pacifier pusher around here and am wondering if I've messed up her jaw for life. I'm also wondering if we give them too much sugar (well, I KNOW we give them too much sugar, but do I REALLY need to cut back??) or if we're not brushing their teeth frequently or well enough.

I never had a cavity until I was 12. What am I doing wrong?

Comments

[Kari Welch]

A friend of mine lived in Sweden for a while. She had an interesting story about children taking their pacifiers to a petting zoo in Stockholm and relinquishing them to the baby kittens. And not just toddlers apparently it's common to let kids keep pacis til they are 5 or 6. Maybe you could find some ritual which would help Kitty Cat give up her paci with ease.

My friend blogs at http://monkeybusinesskids.blogspot.com/ and sometimes talks about life in Sweden.