Victory is mine! A minor victory, and just for the past 2 days, but still, it feels good. Some background here - my son Kenny is generally a very good boy, but when I brush his teeth, he's incredibly squirmy. Actually, he's always squirmy, and on the move, but that's what being three is all about. It only bothers me when I'm trying to brush his teeth. I'm always having to admonish, reprimand, etc. It's almost the worst part of my day.
So the past few days I've been using the following techniques:
1. He needs to hold his elbows. This has the result of quieting his hands, which quiets his whole body.
2. If he stays still, we get to read two books for bedtime. If he doesn't, he only gets one book.
3. Instead of having him stand on the stool right in front of the sink (and also in front of the mirror, where he gets distracted making faces at himself), I sit on the tub, and have him stand in front of me. No more getting distracted in front of the mirror.
All in all, we've had a few good days now, and the evening tooth-brushing routine is no longer so daunting. Plus, I'm more thorough. I started begin more thorough just recently, when the daughter of a friend of mine (same age as Kenny) had six cavities, 4 of which need to be filled. Yikes!
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