Smile!

So, I took B to the dentist today.

When you're done laughing, I'll tell you the rest of the story.

OK, so I knew it wasn't a good idea. I knew it. I know this child, and I knew he was not ready for the dentist. But there's this small part of me that thought that, since he is almost four, it was time. Images of him as a five-year-old with horrible teeth kept popping into my mind. The dentist shaking his head as he looked at the x-rays and said "Well, if you had brought him in when he was three like you were supposed to...."

So I called, and I said "I don't think he's ready. But I think we should try."

They agreed. Of course we should try! Why wouldn't we try! (That will be one hundred and thirty four dollars, please).

So we tried. I made the mistake of telling B ahead of time that we were going. I figured if we told him as we were leaving where we were going, there wouldn't be time for a meltdown. Yeah. Well. What I had somehow momentarily forgotten is that, if he makes time for nothing else, B will make time for a meltdown.. So twenty minutes and alot of sweat (mine) and tears (his and mine) later, we got in the car. Minus his shoes, which he refused to put on.

B reiterated his feelings all the way to the dentist's office.

"NO dentist!"
"I am NOT going!"
"I said NO DENTIST!"
"And no HAIR CUT either!"
"And I'm not going to preschool!"

Ok, so I think we're all pretty clear on his feelings. About everything.

We went in. We walked into the hygienist's room. She talked sweetly to B.

He hid behind me. And growled at her.

She asked him to show her his teeth, and he did, when he loudly shouted "NO TEETH!"

"Don't get too close," I warned her. "He could bite".

She smiled as she backed away and decided to look over my paperwork.

"You checked off that he has emotional problems".

"Yes, " I told her."He's a three-year-old boy."

"Does he have any other problems?" she asked

"No, I think that about covers it". That wasn't enough?

"I can't read what you wrote under "reaction to going to the dentist".

"It says combative", I explained.

She smiled and left for a minute to talk to the dentist as B continued to hide behind my back.

She was back in under thirty seconds.

"Well, thanks for coming in to see us today," she said with a smile. "Lets try again in a few months".

"No dentist today?" I asked

She shook her head. "I don't think he's ready".

Huh. Imagine that.

I'm really not sure if she was talking about B or the dentist, but at least there was no charge for our little social visit.

As we were getting in the car, I thought that maybe I should tell B how much fun he'll have the next time we go to the dentist. But I was pretty sure I knew how that would go. So, instead, I looked at his sweet face as I buckled him into his car seat and said, "It's ok, B. I know what you look like without teeth. You'll be adorable."

And since we now know he's not going to pre-school, we don't even have to worry that other kids will make fun of him.