For the past week or so, I have had to struggle with Talan to brush his teeth brush. Normally it is a very simple task. I haven't had to struggle with him since we first embarked on the journey into tooth brushing which began he was about 6 or 7 months old and his first tooth came through. At one point I thought that maybe he preferred his father do it, but no ... not the case. He put up a pretty good fight with Poppa Morgan too.
Naturally, when something is bothering your child, it eats at you. At work, I would think "Are his gums hurting?" or "Is there a tooth bothering him?" Sometimes I couldn't even sleep because it was bothering me as to why he was struggling with us.
I had the day off today due to Labor Day, but Poppa Morgan had to work, so it was just Mr. T and I. I watched him closely today to see if he avoided putting things in his mouth or if he chewed only on one side, nothing.
After I put him down for a nap today and hopped online to check my e-mail, I opened a message from some baby website that I subscribe to and the headline "Parenting An Independent Toddler" popped out at me. That word, that one word, made me realize what the problem was. I didn't even have to read the article, as the one question I wanted answered was answered by that one simple word, independent.
See, Talan sees his dad brushing his teeth, and me brushing mine, yet he has someone else brushing his. I think that's where the problem lies. It's time for us all to get new toothbrushes anyway (I'm very adamant about changing toothbrushes every 3 months) so I will get him a new one, and in the mornings and at night, I will just wet it with water and let him do his own thing first. Then, once he has chewed and gnawed or whatever he is going to do, I will then let him give me the brush (if he gives it to me himself then he is probably truly finished) and get some of his little baby Biotene (fluoride free) and brush them properly. I mean the kid eats at the table with us and feeds himself, and he even picks a book and brings it to one of us when he wants someone to read to him, so why on Earth would he want someone brushing his teeth for him without at least being able to do it himself first?
Hopefully allowing him to brush "at" this teeth first will solve the problem and end the saga. We shall see!
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Isn't that amazing how something can be troubling you as a parent and you will just stumble on the answer? That has happened to me several times, where I've been stumped by some phase the kids are going through when I read the simple solution on a mom blog, parenting magazine, message board, or just won't be thinking of anything at all.
ReplyDeleteI think it will work for you. I often let me 2 & 3 year-old brush their own teeth and then I finish up for them with some extra good scrubbing when they let me, which turns out to be more often than not. Good luck!