I’m nervous.  No, I’m not getting braces, but my 15 year old son is getting them…tomorrow morning. 

I don’t know which of us is unhappier about it, although, I’m pretty sure he’d tell you he wins that claim to fame…and rightfully so.  Actually, he has been a great sport about it.  After the initial pleading, begging and negotiating as to why he doesn’t need them ( “my teeth look fine, the dentist has even told me I have nice teeth” and well, um, I’ll admit, the dentist did say that to him, “I’ll look like a geek, all my friends have had theirs taken off already”, “Nobody in high school has braces”, “I’m not going to smile in photos”, etc.).

So, why is it that I feel a huge weight on my shoulders…and in my heart?  I’m not really sure.  Logically, I know that hundreds of kids get braces put on their teeth every day, and that surely translates into thousands and thousands of kids (presumably happy and healthy) across our wonderful country, all walking around with mouths of metal, rubber bands and wax.  Uh…ok, that sounds kind of not-so great.

Maybe I feel this weird mix of sadness and discomfort because I’ve never had braces, and can’t really relate?  I can’t tell my son (well, I can tell him, but can’t back it up with my own experience) that it won’t be so horrible and that he won’t hate the way he looks.  I don’t have that mommy ‘been-there, done-that’ inner knowledge that makes it possible to feel like it will all be ok.  My husband seems to be mostly oblivious to the whole thing, so he’s not a big help on this one.  He’s taking the logical approach vs. the emotional approach…waaaay smarter move.

My teeth always looked good (as if I did have braces), so it never even came up as a family discussion when I was a kid.  I thought I “lucked out”, until I was plagued by TMJ, during my freshman year of college. Can you say huge misery and OWW?  It’s still a painful problem that I deal with and it’s no fun. 

So, when we took our son to two orthodontists (that’s what you do in our neighborhood) and both announced that his teeth do look good, but that his bite is off and there’s a good chance that he’ll have TMJ problems by the time he hits his 20’s (ding, ding, ding…we have a winner!), guess who was sold…family discussion or not.  Done.

Seems kind of small-minded to be going on about this, considering today is a wonderful new beginning for the USA - the swearing in of our 44th President!  Exciting new history in the making.  I know tomorrow will come and go, and some day soon the braces on my handsome boy, will be no big deal. 

Tonight I will go to the grocery store and stockpile as much soft and mushy food as I can.  I know (er…hope) we’re doing the best thing possible for our son, and no doubt in a handful of years, for his little sister too.  Yikes. 

I guess I’m a metal-mouth wimp.  So, to my son; sorry…and yet I’m not.  You’re going to have an awesome smile when they come off.  Best of all, you won’t suffer from TMJ.  At least I can feel good about that!

Filed under: Debbe Taylor, kids