Dental Dilemma

I have a confession to make… I have never taken my children to the dentist.

I know. Shall I add a link to DoCS at this point for your convenience?

Now before you commence reporting me to the relevant authorities, I think my conscience can be relatively clear in relation to Bam Bam (2.5y). Besides, I’m not sure my public liability insurance covers damages inflicted to health professionals due to toddler attacks? I certainly wouldn’t risk putting my hand in there.

The Wilful One is another story, by 5 years I believe it’s an expectation that your child has had at least one visit to familiarise themselves with the whole dentist shebang.

I’ve had good intentions. Truly. I’ve even left messages (okay, ONE message) with a local kids’ dentist to make an appointment but they never rang me back. On their heads be it!!

They have been talking about oral hygiene at Prep lately, and of course my darling boy comes home to quite enthusiastically points out my deficits as a parent in this area.

“Why don’t we floss?!”
“Was that 2 minutes, mummy?”
“You need to take me to the dentist!”
“Why aren’t my teeth loose yet?”

I’m sure I could arrange something about that last one…

Anyway, it turns out all this teeth talk has been part of a government conspiracy dental health promotion campaign because yesterday we received a note from school about the dental van.

I have such awful memories of that gloomy, cramped little caravan with its awful smell, the sound of the drill and the taste of the fluoride. *shudder* I blame my fear of all things dental squarely on my experiences in that torture room on wheels.

So, my dilemma is: Do I run the risk of prolonging my son’s first dental visit until I pull my finger out and find a suitable kiddie dentist that I’m satisfied won’t scar him for life; OR, do I bite the bullet and send him along to the dreaded van like a lamb to the slaughter in the vain hope that things have improved dramatically in the land of government-funded oral health?

I’d love to hear your thoughts (be nice). What have your experiences been with taking kids to the dentist? Have you stepped foot inside the dreaded van as a parent rather than a victim patient?

{Nee Asks} Save my Sanity!

Ok peeps, I am in desperate need of some parenting advice. My child’s life is in danger.

See this sweet innocent face?

 

I could throttle it most days.

It is well documented on this blog that the Wilful One and I both possess the procrastination gene. But since turning 5, the boy’s has gone into overdrive.

He is such a bright, enthusiastic child who loves to have purpose and responsibility. Generally.

However, recently the most simple tasks have become drawn out beyond belief. Tidying up. Getting dressed. Getting a drink. Going to the toilet. Putting. On. Bloody. Shoes. ARGH!

If faffing around was an olympic sport I’d been signing him up pronto. He’d bring home the gold every time.

Having a tendency to dawdle myself, I am more tolerant than most and I have tried a number of things to try to help him get moving.

I step out tasks in order of events (he likes a plan), make it a game/race, pre-prepare as much as possible, offer rewards and of course, lots of good old threats. This morning I heard myself tell him he would be taken to school in his underwear if he wasn’t dressed by the time I got to the door!

So, I beseech you, for the sake of my son and that of my sanity, tell me your tips for keeping procrastination-prone youngsters on task and focused.

 

 

End of the age of innocence

Tomorrow is the beginning of the end of my son’s innocence. He is starting school.

I know that all sounds a bit dramatic but it’s truly how I feel.

Even though the Wilful One has been at preschool 3 days a week for the last two years, his social network has been quite cloistered.

At the age of five my boy still loves Mickey Mouse, Cars and Diego. He likes Transformers but only because his friends at preschool do. He won’t watch new animated movies willingly, hating any ‘dark’ scenes or mentions of badies or scary monsters.

His maintained innocence is in part due to personality but also due to our style of parenting.

This is not to say I am a Pollyanna myself, nor is The Man, by any means.

I don’t believe he has lead a sheltered life to this point. He has a very good grasp of concepts such as death and social responsibility.

I simply see no reason why children should have to grow up before they need to. In particular, I believe the concept of inflicting aggression and violence on others should play no role in a young child’s schema. There is time enough for them to be exposed to the harsh realities of the world.

However, once he walks through those school gates for the first time tomorrow morning, I must accept that my boy’s world will open up.

His external influences with multiply ten-fold.

He will be faced with confronting concepts in the playground over which I will have little control.

I just need to trust that the values we have instilled in him and his strong sense of right and wrong will stand him in good stead.

How did you feel when your baby started school?

Hot date & a trip to Hogwarts

This morning I had a hot date with a very handsome young man.

After we dropped Bam Bam off at kindy, the Wilful One & I ran a few errands, had some sushi and then headed to our Prep interview.

Waiting outside the Principal’s office transported me back 25 years (eek!) in time. Why do school administration buildings carry such a shudder-worthy vibe, I wonder? All the folk wandering the halls seemed pleasant enough. I think it was the sound of the Deputy Principal scolding some children that made me sit on the edge of my seat.  It’s not that she was being shouty or cruel. In fact, it was the exact opposite. Her tone was a bit condescending, like she was talking to small children. Which of course she was. It just didn’t sit right with me as these children were obviously not preppies. They were young but not babies. Perhaps it’s just because I don’t speak to my kids like that.  Especially when they are in trouble!

In any case, it turned out to be the Deputy Principal with the sugary sweet scolding that we were scheduled to meet. Out she came all gushy and, well, sweet. How ironic it was that as we entered her office, she asked the Wilful One what his favourite colour was. “Pink” was his immediate (and predicted) response.  Taking a quick survey of the room, I immediately identified that my son and the lady with the sickly sweet voice had something in common.

On the desk there was a pink pencil-case, a pink pencil holder and an iPad in a pink case. On the wall there was a white board with a pink border and beneath that a sideboard with some pink ornaments. In the corner stood a tall glass vase with, you guessed it – pink flowers.

I quickly prompted the Wilful One to say his second favourite colour (purple) in a bid to reassure her I hadn’t primed him to charm her. Then I noticed what colour blouse she was wearing.  Purple.  She smiled sweetly and we progressed with the interview.

I couldn’t quite put my finger on it, but there was something about this pink lady that struck me as familiar. It wasn’t until I mentioned to her that we were also on the waiting list of the new school in the area that it dawned on me.  When I watched her back straighten and her sweet smile tighten as a hint of an edge came to her voice, I suddenly realised who she reminded me of…

I know. I’m being a little mean and judgemental. Miss Deputy Pink was young and perky and you never know, by the end of next year we  may be the best of friends.  I just couldn’t ignore the resemblance…

Do you know someone who reminds you of a movie character?

I’m excited to be linking up with Jess @ Diary of a Stay at Home Mum for the very first time for IBOT. It will be shortlived but hopefully for the next few weeks while I’m on holidays I’ll be able to say:

 

 

 

 

 

Image from here

Things I know this week

I know Friday’s the day I link up with Shae from Yay for Home !

I know I didn’t cope as well as I expected for the 5 days The Man was away. Usually life is easier with one less male around. Not this time!

I know at times I was a bit unreasonable with the kids. I hope the visage of screaming-banshee-mother is not permanently imprinted on their psyche.

I know my diet went out the window. I wish there was a pill you could pop for stress-eating. One for motivation & self-control would be good, too.

I know I’m hopelessly in love with the beautiful scarf the divine Lou Lou brought back from Paris for me.

I know the boys are loving their Paris tee’s and Harrods bears, too. Spoilt!

I know I’m irrationally nervous about the Wilful One’s Prep interview next Tuesday. Especially since it’s for a school that I’m hoping we don’t have to send him to.

I know toilet training Bam Bam is every bit as painful as I anticipated it to be. That kid has no respect for hygiene.

I know I’m so glad to be on holidays!!!

I know I’m feeling pretty darn virtuous for planning out my 5 weeks of holidays and scheduling all my to-do’s. I’ve scheduled long overdue catch ups, assigned weeks for household de-cluttering tasks and listed all the odd jobs I need to do. I’ve even allocated days for writing blog posts!

I know I needed to do this otherwise I run the risk of spending 5 weeks sitting front of the computer in my PJ’s as a result of  feeling completely overwhelmed by all the things I want to achieve and the Procrastination Gene will kick in big time. And that is NOT going to happen!

Do you need to organise yourself with schedules and lists like me?