Hi, my name is Kelly and I write about being a dad. Let me tell you 
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Toothbrush
“Open up,” I said. I leaned over the changing table with the miniature toothbrush and aimed it at Alleke’s mouth. She pushed it aside with both hands, turned over, and lifted herself up on all fours–all at once like a tumbling gymnast.
“Nigh nigh,” she said, suggesting we skip this part of our nighttime ritual. She reached for me to pick her up.
I glared at her and crossed my arms. “No way,” I said. “You’re mean.” I contemplated sticking out my tongue.
This was the third night in a row that Alleke had refused to brush her teeth, and it was the first time she had decided not to do something I couldn’t make her do. I could not brush her teeth without her help. It was impossible.
I entertained the idea of not brushing Alleke’s teeth anymore. I’d wave the toothbrush in her face, then toss it in the waste basket. “You’ll see,” I’d say. Years later she would have rotten teeth like pieces of broken glass, and it would be her fault, not mine.
I shuddered at the thought.
“What should I do?” I asked April.
She looked up from her laptop and thought for a moment.
“Let her brush your teeth,” she said.
I dug around in the drawer until I found my toothbrush and handed it to Alleke. She giggled and immediately pointed it at my mouth. As if following orders from my dentist, I opened wide, and she went to work scrubbing my teeth. Laughing didn’t help. It made the process more difficult for both of us, but we couldn’t stop.
When Alleke finished, she set down my toothbrush and pointed at the miniature one in my hand.
I smiled. I aimed the little toothbrush at her mouth and said, “Open up.”
MORE ON: alleke, attachment parenting, dad, discipline, toddler
2 COMMENTS
I LOVE this story. Aren’t toddlers fun?
February 28, 2008 at 10:48 pmLEAVE YOUR COMMENT
Elizabeth said...
April, you are just plain brilliant. What a mom! Elizabeth
February 27, 2008 at 8:45 pm