By Meghan Hamilton
Let me start by saying we are blessed. We have 2 amazing, beautiful, healthy children. We love them to pieces. Ever since they were small we have modeled independence; encouraged it. Both were using the potty on their own and sleeping in a "big kid bed" by the age of 2. And it's not as you might think. These independent milestones were not pushed on our children. We merely saw the signs of their sweet, independent selves emerging and followed that good ol' parenting gut (and crossed our fingers that we were doing the right thing). It was a similar story with teeth brushing. Like all parents do, we brushed our children's teeth when they were young. We tried to teach them the "hows" of tooth brushing and even sang silly songs to help encourage them to brush correctly. Now that I am thinking about it, it went something like this and went to the tune of Row, Row, Row Your Boat:
"Brush, brush,
brush your teeth, brush them all day long. I love to brush my teeth while I sing a little song. Brush, brush, brush your teeth, brush from ear to ear. I love to brush my teeth; it makes me want to cheer."
And then we would sing the alphabet to ensure that we brushed long enough (I say "we" but really it was me since the kiddos were brushing their teeth!). This went on for a few years, until they were too old for silly songs. I think it was about the age of 4 for both of my children that we needed a new method. So, we grabbed a kitchen timer, set it for two minutes, and the kiddos would brush until the timer went off. This has worked very well for the past few years. No problems with teeth brushing. AND they had been doing a great job. Until recently.
My son has decided that brushing his teeth is torture. He hates it. And I mean HATES it. For some reason when he turned 7, he decided that looking at himself in the mirror and dancing while holding his toothbrush was the way to go. I love his dancing, but it doesn't clean his teeth. So, the battle begins...
It eventually ends with him brushing his teeth after statements are made about teeth turning black and falling out and maybe a few mentions of how the Tooth Fairy will not take unhealthy teeth. This usually gets him moving in the right direction, but these conversations are being had every day, every time he is asked to brush his teeth.
I know that this too is a phase; maybe another step towards his independent self. No longer does he need or want us standing there, hovering to ensure he is doing what has been asked. Maybe it's time to trust him. Trust that he can do what we need him to do. Trust that his independent self wants clean, healthy teeth just as much as we want them for him.
Until next time...
Meghan Hamilton is a co-owner and author of Fusion Early Learning. Meghan’s passion lies in educating young children in ways that excite and intrigue the learner, opening them up to a wider array of educational experiences. Meghan currently lives in Northern California with her husband and business partner Tom, and their two children Jack and Emma.
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