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"...And nothing but the tooth..."
by Cheryl Gochnauer, Homebodies.org

Carrie, my almost-seven-year-old, has stubborn baby teeth.  Those two front ones would rather wear down than pop out, so our dentist finally said, "Enough's enough.  Come in next Friday and we'll, uh, take care of it." He gave me a knowing look over Carrie's carrot top.

As soon as the dentist left the room, Carrie looked up at me and said, "He's gonna pull them out, isn't he?" "Yep.  You're going to be fine."

Carrie's pretty complacent, so she said, "Okay," and away we went. 

The impending pull was still on her mind, though, and by the time the fateful morning arrived, her eyes were about as large as they ever get.

Carrie hates to miss school, so her appointment was early - 9:45 a.m.  I had visions of getting in and out, letting Carrie recoup for a couple of hours, then returning her to her first-grade classroom.  But when we arrived, the dentist's office was packed.  Regardless of my little one's nervous pacing, we waited...and waited...and waited.  The nurse finally called her name at 11:00.

By 11:15, we were in the parking lot, two teeth lighter and the morning shot.  Carrie really was fine, sorting through stickers and toy bracelets she'd received for being a good patient.  But the waiting, plus the pulling, had worn her out.  School no longer looked so attractive.  "Can I stay home with you today, Mommy?" "I'd love it," I replied.  Carrie smiled a toothless grin.

Driving home, I realized this was a classic "I'm so glad I'm a stay-at-home mom" situation.  How many other moms in that same packed dentist's office were stressing out because they could envision their boss standing at their empty desk, asking, "Isn't she back YET?"  I was annoyed at the delay, but thankfully, my schedule is flexible enough to accommodate such unexpected turns.  I also didn't have to scramble to schedule a personal day when Carrie asked to stay home - or worse, have to say, "Sorry," to her hopeful question.

The day went a lot differently than I planned, but that's okay.  I'm here to "make it all right," and that's what counts.  Even the Tooth Fairy couldn't bring Carrie a better gift.

If you'd like to read other Homebodies articles, visit Cheryl's website.

copyright 2003 by Cheryl Gochnauer - All rights reserved.

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