Growing Up: Hard on the Teeth But Good for the Heart

Growing up isn’t always what we expect it’ll be. One of my dear nine-year-olds got his first dental appliance (a retainer) yesterday and came fully undone. The poor thing is going to starve to death because he can’t eat, he’ll have to talk in sign language because he can’t speak…. I get it. There’s this THING in his mouth, mucking everything up. It wasn’t what he expected when he skipped into the dentist’s office, kind of proud to partake in this right of passage. So many of his friends have retainers, and now he got to have one!

I’d warned that it might be uncomfortable at first, but didn’t go into detail because I’ve never had any dental appliances so didn’t know the details. We ALL know them now.

This morning he is better. But I guess that’s what would happen after a night buried under stuffed animals loaned by one’s doting brothers. And then, on our morning walk, two of my triplets ushered the third to school with supreme tenderness. My mama’s heart melts.