A Little Scare to Get Little Ones Brushing
We asked you about that daily chore, the brushing of teeth. Here’s what you said:
My wife and I couldn’t get our young son and daughter to brush right--or at all. Here’s what we did.
I faked a toothache.
My wife faked an emergency dental appointment.
I left the house, waited two hours and on the way home picked up a small bottle of catsup.
I drank some ketchup and entered my home in major pain!
Oh, the looks on my children’s faces when I opened my mouth.
I told them the dentist said I didn’t brush well.
They brush now!
--LEONARD MENDEZ, Downey
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My daughter’s kindergarten class did a two-week lesson on dental health. They were given new toothbrushes and a travel-size tube of toothpaste to use after lunch. They were given a chart to keep track of brushing; anyone who brushed their teeth 20 times over the 10-day period got a special prize. My daughter loved it. She even flossed!!
--TINA NEWHARD, Huntington Beach
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My 5-year-old made an awesome charted construction-paper toothbrush at school and has to mark with her initials when she brushes in the morning / evening. She doesn’t want to leave anything blank.
My 7-year-old and 9-year-old don’t mind brushing.
I made a deal with my 10-year-old son--if he brushes his teeth after breakfast and before he goes to bed, then I won’t nag. His choice.
--DENIESL DEGGES, Burbank
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ll we need to do in our house to get Katie (4 years old) and Michael (almost 2 years old) to brush their teeth is start the music--”Brushin’ ” by the Happy Crowd!
They race to the bathroom to start brushin’! Works every time without fail. They even spit on cue with the music!
--JUDY SAN ROMAN, Tustin
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My parents made each of us three kids put a dollar on the fridge with a magnet. If they caught us at any point during the day with icky smiles, the dollar was put in a jar and had to be replaced. The money in the jar went toward the cavity fund.
By $5, we were all dedicated teeth cleaners.
--ANNE GILLESPIE, age 16, San Clemente
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Getting my 3 1/2-year-old boy (who is usually very obedient) into the bathroom to brush his teeth--other than his bath time / nature calls--is a very frustrating ordeal.
After so many tactics tried and failed (even bribery), I now say, “Baby, it’s time to get rid of your mouth bugs. Ohhhhh! I see that ugly mouth bug. Yuck! Yuck!”
So far, it’s been working fairly nicely.
--LIBBY LO, Pasadena
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The next question: So, your teenagers finally got their driver’s licenses, oh my. What guidelines (or rules or restrictions) do you put in place for borrowing your car--or for driving their own?
* Please share your strategies with us in 75 words or fewer by Friday of this week. Each Monday, we’ll ask a new parenting question, and publish responses on a subsequent Monday. Send to Parental Guidance (PG), Southern California Living, Los Angeles Times, Times Mirror Square, Los Angeles, CA 90053; e-mail socalliving@latimes.com; or fax (213) 237-0732.
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Please include your name, hometown and phone number. Submissions cannot be returned. No telephone calls, please.