I am the Tooth Brushing Nazi.

I've realized this recently. I've always been a bit of a maniac (hmm, there's that word again) about my own teeth brushing. It's not that I'm afraid of the dentist's drill, no, that's not it. It just seems a shame to go through all that drilling and filling mess when you can avoid it with some diligent brushing! I like to be thorough in everything, diligent. Yes, I can veer towards perfectionism, but only in some areas. (Cleanliness of house, not, cleanliness of teeth, a critical matter.) Naturally, I am going to carry this brushing frenzy into the parenting arena. If I'm avoiding my own cavities at all costs, what kind of a lame Mommy would I be to let my beloved little angels fall prey to this awful condition? How could I live with myself knowing one of my children was facing "the drill" when I could have brushed harder, longer, more times... (Mom: I am exaggerating a bit here for the sake of humor. Always keep this concept in mind, Mom, when reading the blog.) So I wonder why my kids go running and screaming when I announce it is time for the little white wonders to be officially CLEANED for the long bacteria-growing night. Once I have them dragged to the bathroom and strapped down, the fun can begin. Shockingly, I have begun allowing my six year old to brush her OWN teeth. With my careful (tyrannical) supervision, of course. "Keep brushing, honey, okay, yes, you've got the right angle, now keep at it....count to 100 as you brush that side." "Get the top molars, now, honey. Those aren't your molars, sweetie, that's your tongue....move the brush OVER!!!" "Now the top ones, back and forth, don't forget behind!" I sometimes watch my dazed children following out my dental orders and suddenly feel like a monster. "What am I doing?!" I see myself as the beast I am, these poor kids at the mercy of my crazed self. This doesn't stop me, however. In the beginning, I used to frighten them with visions of the drill. "You don't want to have your teeth drilled with a real DRILL, do you?!" Thankfully, I realized before it was too late (I hope) that despite my frenzied efforts, the possibility of one of my children succumbing to a cavity was, well, possible. Promoting drill fear seemed a bad course. I now explain to them, "If you do not brush well enough, and even sometimes in spite of your high-quality brushing, you might end up with a cavity and need to have your teeth drilled by the dentist. It's not really a big deal, but, well, wouldn't you rather avoid that if you could?" No one has ever accused me of underthinking an issue. And show me a kid who doesn't bear parentally inflicted scars.

CIAO! Tracy