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Please Lord, don't let her teeth turn gray and fall out!

2008-03-20 / 10:56 a.m.

Right now, my girls are sitting and looking at books. Books are the only belongings they have that they are allowed to "play" with. After several terrible days, where time-out and spankings weren't working, I cleared out their room. The only things in there are their beds, a rug, their dresser and a clothes hamper. Bg2 doesn't seem too phased by it all, but Bg1 is not happy.

This has been a long morning with no toys or TV, but I think Bg1 is starting to get the point. We have had many discussions about why the toys were taken away, what we have to do to get them back, and how we are supposed to act towards your parents, other adults and your sister. I knew this would be a tough day for me too. Since they have very little to do, they are looking to me for their source of entertainment. I do a little something with them and then leave them for a while to play together. It's just before 11am and I'm exhausted. I have also been having them help around the house. They are so bored they are actually helping me. So far, they have "helped" me change the sheets on the bed, sort the laundry, and pick up the living room. This might just prove to be the lesson they needed.

I was feeling really bad about it last night. Feeling like a bad and/or mean mom. I just have reached a breaking point. Nothing seems to be getting through to them. I will have obedient children. I will teach them how to act properly. They will do what I tell them - the first time! In case no one told you - THIS IS HARD WORK!

So to top off my feeling like a bad mom, Bg1 had an accident last night. They were playing outside (since they have nothing to play with inside), and Bg1 was climbing on her plastic "playground" equipment. She was sitting on top of it and fell off face first onto some cement bricks we have. I didn't see it happen, was on the phone, and when I heard blood curtling screams and Dan (who was watching them) calling for me - I knew there was blood involved. I originally thought she had just cut her lip, but when I raised her lip to see where the bleeding was coming from, I realized that it was in fact her fat lip AND her gums! She hit three of her front teeth and the gums around it were bleeding. They were instantly a dark shade of purple and I was panicked! Fortunately for me, my oldest friend, Jennifer's dad is a pediatric dentist and I was able to call him at home. He asked me a lot of questions and determined that she didn't need to go in that night, but he wants to see her in a few days. Basically, one of her front teeth is loose and another one is pushed up into her gums slightly. He wants to see what they do on their own. He totally calmed me down, explained everything to me in a way that made sense and I feel a sense of peace about it all. Best case scenario - they heal themselves and she will be fine. Worst case - there is nerve damage that doesn't repair itself and the tooth turns gray and dies. I'm praying for the better case. She is not supposed to bite into anything for a few days and she is not supposed to suck her thumb! He doesn't want there to be any more trauma to the teeth and said we should really baby them the best we can for the next few days, so they can heal themselves. This is SO hard. She wants to suck her thumb so bad. I'm praying that this will end the thumb sucking, but it is really hard. Apparently, the pain is worth it to suck the thumb. We'll keep working on it.

I keep thinking I want to run away. I want to escape the hardness of my life. But then things like that happen and I'm glad I am here to comfort and love her. It really scared her (and me), and I think it made her realize how much she needs me too. It has kind of softened her. Not that I want her in pain, but the situation is helping. I've softened to her as well.

K

crawling * walking

Bursting with pride - 2008-04-16