Yesterday, during Ky's ortho appointment, I said the statement:
"my daughter is a............handful at the best of times."
It is true.
At the best of times, when she is in a good and reasonable mood,
Lori is a handful.
The discussion was concerning the dentist in the building next to her office.
He is a jerk (I'm being nice).
She wanted to know if we were still seeing him.
Um, no. I will not be bringing either of my children back to see that man.
Ever.
Again.
But, back to the statement:
Lori is a handful at the best of times.
At the worst of times she is an unreasonable and unruley little beast.
We engage in a lot of discussions about manners, attitude,
and proper ways to communicate.
Life is easier at 11 than it was at 3,
but,
I'm not really looking forward to puberty.
The ortho and hygentist who was working on Ky right next to where we were chatting
both chuckled.
Lori IS a handful at the best of times.
There are appropriate and INappropriate ways to deal with an unreasonable child.
The ortho takes the tone of positive is better.
Push the kid past her normal endurance, praise-praise-praise,
and then push a little more.
Lori had a problem in her mouth due
to the differences between different regions
and materials. The problem resulted in a long-long-long
and painful appointment.
It ended in 2 seperate 90-minute long appointments 1 week apart.
No scar.
She had no problem going back for the second appointment
even though she knew that it was going to be more of the same.
Whereas the dentist....the one we wouldn't be going back to see.......
he took the tone of shame and ridicule in the name of
"dicipline".
He was unsuccessful in achieving the goal of getting
a needle into Lori's gum.
Plus, he tried his tactic on me.
_I_ am not a 10-year old little girl.
I am a full-grown woman.
I chewed him out...in front of other patients and his staff.
And, my handful of a daughter.
I'd like to think I'm a bit more reasonable....