Wednesday, April 25, 2012

A Wee Bit of a Rant

I have a thing about parenting advice.
Unsolicited, that is.
I can usually handle it pretty well.
However, I do love to rant about it later.
{grin}

Today at the dentist's office,
the young dentist that is checking
Princess #3's teeth, tells me that
she is ready to have some
permanent teeth sealed as well as
a filling that is needed to fill a
"dimple" in one of her permanent teeth.

I ask him if she will need to be
numbed up for the procedure.
He says no, she shouldn't need to be.
It is purely preventative.
I say, okay, great, I like to prepare
her ahead of time for what is to come.

He replies with this little gem:
It is better to *not* tell your kids anything
and just let us handle it.
[Queen's side note:  Boy would I pay big money to see him handle 
a baby fit.  Big money, dear friends.]

Really??
Excuse me, but  that is *not* how I parent.

If any of my kids ask if something (like a shot) is gonna hurt.
I tell them yes, but you can handle it.
Not in a mean way, like, suck it up sister, 
but in an honest way, so they know what to expect.
I don't shrug and feign like I don't know.
This honesty is especially important for my spirited child.
She needs to know every single detail in order
to have success during her day.
I try to comply. {grin}

I am willing to admit that maybe my parenting style
could perhaps, maybe be, an oddity, but
I do feel strongly that giving my kids a "head's up"
about what to expect at a doctor or dentist appointment
gives them a chance to process and prepare
for what may be.

So, super sorry, Dr.
I'm telling.


2 comments:

Sarah M. said...

I totally agree! I always try to set my girls and hubby up to succeed. Why do I want to set them up to fail? I may not always do the best job, but I try. Silly man. ;)

Castle Diaries said...

Exactly!! Dear dentist is obviously not a parent yet! ;)