Last week, the boys had a dentist appointment. That is an adventure all in itself because of a very mobile 1 year old, a 4 year old who suddenly hates going to the dentist, and a 6 year old who pretty much just likes to do what he wants, when he wants…and those desires and impulses never include a trip to the dentist.
But really, they all did a great job. Camryn made fast friends with everyone there. Logan needed to be carried to the chair, and then I pretty much stayed hidden during his turn. He only cried once when he decided that he was absolutely done but the hygienist still had to clean his bottom teeth. That is a huge improvement from 6 months ago when I had to restrain him in my lap while 3 hygienists worked to get the fluoride on his teeth. It was traumatic. I think the hygienists probably cringed when they saw us walk in, but luckily Logan did not put on a repeat performance.
Connor did well, too. He only reached up and pulled the hygienists hand away from his mouth once. He, unfortunately, had quite a bit of plaque. Turns out that his warp speed teeth brushing just wasn’t getting the job done. The dentist and the hygienist reiterated several times that he needed to brush for 2 minutes, twice a day.
Well, Connor has latched onto that, big time. Connor is obsessed with numbers and with time. He’ll play for an hour with a calculator. He will lay in bed and simply watch the clock for 30 minutes or more. He can already add and multiply easily in his head. It’s all about “how much” and “how long” to him. The dentist giving him a specific time for brushing is the best thing he could have done for Connor’s dental health.
The only problem was Connor needed to have an exact measurement of 2 minutes. We could have just hooked him up with a stop watch or a timer, but where is the fun in that? All on his own, he came up with a plan.
“Mom, can you find me a two minute version of “The Imperial March“? When the song is over, then I will know it’s been two minutes.”
It was kind of one of those things where I said “yeah, sure”, but I really thought he would just forget about it. Hello, Meg…don’t you know your son at all? When he get’s an idea, he does not forget.
So last night, I downloaded a 3 minute version of “The Imperial March” (which, by the way, is what the boys sing to Camryn if she is crying. It’s her lullaby and it cracks me up!) Connor brushed dutifully for 2 minutes, then he made me pause the song, got his mouthwash ready, and swished for another minute.
I know his dentist would be proud.