Everyone knows that kids do the craziest things.
For example, why did my best friend’s son think that he could plant a crop of corn in his nose, simply by inserting said seeds? To a three year-old, this seemed totally reasonable. “Knee high by the fourth of July!” he shrieked over and over again. My friend and I shared a knowing look. Hey, we were kids once. We’d been there too.
When I was a child, my sister encouraged me to eat pennies. Turned out, she was hoping to unveil the first-ever human piggy bank! Our mom was not as supportive.
My best friend and I tormented her little sister for years growing up. She was our little experiment! Always wanting to be included with the big kids, she was pretty much up for anything if it meant she could hang out. However, she drew the line when we attempted to provide her childhood vaccinations using rose thorns.
It just goes to show that kids are doing crazy things all the time. And, there’s really no way to stop them.
More often than not, a dental disaster is already in progress by the time a parent becomes aware of it. If your child has done something crazy, say, given herself braces by eating a stretched out paperclip, or made his own set of dentures using sticks, first, don’t panic. Start by assessing the situation quickly.
If there’s any chance that your child has actually consumed something (anything – medicines, chemicals, objects, etc), call 911 and get medical help immediately. Do the same if your child has severe pain or bleeding.
But if you can see that is not an emergency; just do what you can to correct the situation. Then talk with your child about why we don’t do things like make our own braces, or practice oral surgery on our little sisters.
And then, take a moment to remember that kids will be kids. Look at the situation from a child’s perspective. Their minds are not fully developed and they do not share adult reasoning skills. Help the child understand why the behavior was wrong, but also let your guard down a bit and smile. Enjoy the refreshing spice our kids add to life!
Find oral health tips for getting your kids to practice good oral health. Visit www.monthlymouthfulco.com.