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Years ago, I read in a parenting magazine, an article about how to inspire your children to brush their teeth. The article included many moms sharing stories about what had worked for them. One mother's story intrigued me because she explained that she would tell her children that they needed to brush all of the tiny, "Sugar Monsters" off of their teeth. I really felt like that would work for me because, all three of my boys have gone through stages where they like to pretend that they are embroiled in hand to hand combat with monsters of all sorts. Ridding our mouths of, "Sugar Monsters" has worked brilliantly for years to inspire my sons to brush...until three days ago...
Adam has been losing lots of his baby teeth. He resists having them pulled until they are literally falling out of his head, and once they do, the typical fanfare ensues, followed by a visit from, the most majestic of all women in my sons' opinion, The Tooth Fairy.
Three days ago, I told Brian to go brush his teeth. He said he didn't want to, so I reminded him of his meaningful work of eradicating Sugar Monsters from his mouth. He replied flatly, "Mom, I want the Sugar Monsters to get my teeth, and make them all wiggly, so they fall out and I get money like Adam." Being the quick thinker that I am I responded, with a snappy, "Uhhhhhhhh, honey, you still have to brush your teeth. It is important to keep your gums healthy....uhhh...so go do it." We then, of course, had a lengthy argument. I admit that he really had a clever line of thinking, in wanting his teeth to get all wiggly. I have decided that we are not going to argue tonight. I am going to tell him that The Tooth Fairy only accepts healthy, well brushed teeth. Ya like that? I'm pretty pleased with myself...and, it only took me 48 (blasted) hours to come up with it. *Sigh* this kid is killin' me...(love him more than life itself, though)
Brian (4 years and 9 months old)
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34 comments:
Wiser at 4--you have problems on your horizon. F finally caught us--the jig is up for him. But while the asburdity of the belief in a tooth fairy baffles him, Santa bringing him a flat screen tv next year is little more than an obvious expectation.
Loved your comment on "Blogging Confidential"!! You have beautiful boys, how is it rasing 3 boys?! And I am so stealing your sugar monsters ploy to brushing teeth! Are you coming to Women's Conf. and the blogging Party? Looking forward to meeting you!
I told my son that the tooth fairy only pays top dollar for good teeth. The bad teeth she may even just leave under the pillow because she doesn't want them. :0)
Brian is pretty smart! Andrew refused to sleep in the same room as Lenna the night she lost her first tooth- he was scared of the tooth fairy coming and taking teeth right out of his mouth! So I guess I am in the clear for a while.
Lenna went to the dentist and has two cavities- yikes! They need to be filled and sealed, all for a total of $200-$400, depending if she needs to be knocked out to cooperate. I was not thrilled. Now I remind her every night to brush, floss, and rinse. When she argues, I remind her that her vaction money for Disney World is going to fill her teeth, so unless she never ever wants to meet Cinderella, she better start brushing. The sad part is, I didn't even have to lie. It was vacation money going to the dentist!
It's the smart ones that are the hardest to get to do what you want! My Jaxon is the same way. Someday these boys are going to be great leaders, because they know what they want! :)_
Smart, smart, smart. My daughter is only 3 so we are not at that stage yet.
When we were watching America's Funniest Home Videos last year, an old man's false teeth fell out. My daughter asked if it was because he didn't brush.
We didn't correct her. :-)
Sounds so much like my second. What am I going to do with this kid.
Don't they understand that the tooth fairy, being female, only wants nice clean healthy teeth? And that teeth that are rotten or have monsters on them are of considerably lower value?
I prefer to make sure that get a cavity and filling when they are young, and then scare them into the threat of another. Parenting with fear- it works.
This has nothing to do with your post, but that youngest baby boy is the most delicious thing I've ever seen. So cute.
Teeth rot naturally, don't you know?
I tell my kids that their teeth will look like Shrek's teeth if they don't brush. It has helped. I like the idea that the TF only pays for healthy teeth. If that doesn't work, pull out Shrek for a movie night.
Maybe Mike should have a "take your child to work" day. That could work....
Yes. Smart kids=trouble!
I'm with Celia.
Take a look at those eyes. He could have NO teeth with those EYES and still be so totally darling!
We do the same thing here (except we call them sugar bugs).
Seriously...if they are falling out, let the Sugar Monsters get em. Who care if you are the mom with kids with big silver caps all over their front teeth?
yes, Brian is just too cute. Too cute almost to make him do anything. But I do know from experience cavities are not cheap so its a mothers duty to enforce the teeth brushing. Let me know if your new strategy works. I need some help getting my three year old to brush.
My four year old has been pretending his teeth are wiggling too- because his six year old was losing teeth and getting money I suppose. I like the sugar monsters idea! I've used the germ monsters with handwashing
Jessica - that was sarcasm, right???
LOL
ha ha. Love the sugar monster! All I can think is a crazy googaly eyed monster like the cookie monster going, "Um sugar sugar sugar!"
I love ashlee's comment... we too manipulate our children in such ways... ha
We call ours "Cavity Bugs." And after a visit to the dentist, which my children absolutely love (sincerely, no sarcasm), Gabe was very upset that he couldn't brush his teeth (we were instructed not to that night because of the fluoride treatment). "But my teeth are going to fall out!" he wailed.
Tooth fairy hasn't found our house yet. Not sure how he'll respond . . .
Oooohhhhhh, this kid is GOOD. You're in trouble.
Our tooth fairy pays on a sliding scale determined by the size, quality, and color of the tooth. Of course, she is forgetful, and currently poverty stricken. There's a note for her on the kitchen window sill right now, "Dear Tooth Fairy, You owe me 3 teeth worth of money." I think it's about time that girl learned the truth, but I just can't bring myself to crush her. Oh well.
Have you seen all my tooth fairy posts? That wench has been busy at our house and breaking the bank! I give Levi no choices and I brush his teeth FOR him. I have cavity paranoia.
he is the smawtest kid yous got.
I'm with Jessica. Nothing says I'm a Bad Kid like a nice platinum grill in front.
I think I'm going to refer to you as Saint Lauren from now on. Three boys and you go directly to heaven in my book. My sister has three boys too. I just love the comments you leave me! Could I put your blog link on my blog?
Brian must have gotten his cunning smarts from his mama. They're Sugar Bugs in our house. I tell my kids how they'll crawl all over inside they're mouths. yuck.
good luck with your crusade.
Okay... I love your blog!! of course you can check us out anytime you like!!! I love to blog and turned last years blog into a book so I feel like I can blog and not feel guilty you know a family journal..... Your boys are so cute, and how can you be so witty all the time?
Check ya out soon!!!
oh my life! He's already losing teeth? and what a smartypants, that one. ;)
Look at how smart you are! I'm TOTALLY going to use that with my kids.
It's actually 4 boys that get you straight to the CK. So start working on that.
My husband the dentist would go into great bacterial detail if they didn't brush. So they did, either out of fear or fear that he would keep talking, not sure which one.
One of my previous employers had a couple of sons, and they referred to the tooth fairy as the "Tooth Wizard" because he said it scared his boys to think of a fairy prancing around their room at night!!
I just may start using that "sugar monsters" phrase at work. Hmm...wonder how many times I'll have to use it!
LOVED the comment from Jannet! Hilarious!!!!
Love, LuAnne
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