Here you are - a growing boy - and I need to start training you in all habits good and proper. (Which probably means that I need to reform myself in the process...)
This means - brushing little teeth.
Sure, we've done this in the past. It was really more of a joke then. "Awwww-how cute! He thinks he's brushing his teeth" while you chewed and gnawed on your toothbrush, saliva dripping off the end of the brush handle as the bristles were chewed out of existence...
Now, we're getting down to business. That means brushing every night as a habit. Not always a thrilling prospect to you. Sometimes, I make the mistake of putting it off until you are too tired and I have to drag your limp, screaming body onto the bathroom tile, close the bathroom door to shut off all means of escape, take your plug out of your death grip, and get you to brush your teeth.
How to accomplish this..... how, how, how.....
How about this - an Elmo toothbrush and some Spongebob toothpaste!
Hey, it doesn't work EVERY time, but most of the time these magical cartoon characters work their pacifying magic on you and you come around to the activity.
God bless their mysterious magical existence.
You will diligently brush your teeth with what we have termed your Spongepaste by holding the brush still and twisting your body back and forth which is completely adorable.
To encourage this cute behavior, I will brush my teeth at the same time and in the same way. Hey - I don't want to see that cute behavior corrected... who am I to say the other way is better?
The part of spitting which you like the best is plunging the Spongepaste (yes - this word is used for BOTH the paste AND the brush alike) - and then sucking the water out of the bristles. Usually this form of "spitting" takes place 5 or 6 times before we can put the Spongepaste away and be done.
Now, there is a new habit that I need to work on with you and that is the habit of dropping whatever it is you were interested in exactly in the spot you were in when you instantly lost interest in it. Apparently, this goes for Spongepaste, too, as you can see.
Notice the proximity of the mouth cleaning brush to the toilet and how it has fallen on it's side just in case it wasn't allarmingly unhygenic enough.... (and the embarrassing "unstaged" appearance of my dirty laundry, too. NICE, Mommy. Good Cleaning!)
Well, good habits are VERY hard to form. I am learning that teaching these habits is taking every creative energy I can muster to come up with new and exciting ways to make the dull and monotonous tasks of everyday life seem interesting and exciting to you.
Not sure how I'll curb the dropping things behavior, but until I do... I think I got you covered. Check this out:
Love,
Mommy
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