maddies braces: my painful truth

part one: thursday morning

on thursday, maddie got her bottom braces on. she is our fourth and final little brace face, and when we left the orthodontist, i couldn't help but feel a little winsome. as we mom's well know, the firsts are huge. there is the first smile, the first step, the first word, the first dry night, the first day of kindergarten, the loss of the first tooth, the first two-wheeler--i think the list keeps being made in our mothers' hearts for the rest of their lives.

well, thursday was one of those firsts for maddie and her braces. and it was a last for me.

i was sitting in the orthodontist's waiting room reading my magazine, when she came around the corner with her lips pursed shut. then she cracked a closed-mouth smile and finally opened her mouth for me to get a good look. she looked terrific. an official pre-teen. i have been feeling it for awhile, the fact that there are no more little girls living under our roof anymore. (there are only little women, struggling inside to break away from us and discover who they are, while still trying to honor who we have taught them God wants them to be. it's hard work, growing up, hard for all of us.)

it may sound silly, but these braces make it all seem more real! we watched every baby tooth come in with joy, we urged every dangling tooth to come out with sweat and a few tears, with curiosity we waited for every permanent tooth to break through and settle in to its permanent spot. and now we're having them rearranged into a better situation, one that will stay with them until they start to fall out again!

it's a veritable dental circle of life! (my brother, a dentist, would be so proud.)


part two: thursday evening

by evening maddie was in big pain from her braces, so i gave her three teaspoons full of a liquid children's tylenol. our friend linda was coming in an hour to do some cool, memory training with her and she needed to be able to concentrate. when linda arrived, maddie was nowhere to be found. i called and called, but no answer. finally i went up to her room and found her in bed, asleep under the covers. i was really annoyed! maddie has never just gone to bed in the middle of the evening, and she knew linda was coming... i hurried her downstairs to meet linda, while she hung on my arm, and mumbled that her teeth still really hurt. it had been long enough for the tylenol to kick in, so, puzzled, i checked the botttle, and, i read, "Children's Tylenol Multi-Cold Symptom." the stuff was full of a cough suppressant, nasal decongestant, and antihistamine! i had drugged her for a nonexistent cold!

i felt horrible! i was trying to take her pain away so she COULD concentrate, not drug her up so she could hardly remember her name! goodness.

needless to say, after a good laugh and feeling relieved that i hadn't given her something really dangerous, we cancelled the training session.

after a real dose of children's tylenol, maddie slept great that night. no pain, and not a single sniffle or cough.