The Toothpaste, Story

Like the fabulous mommy I am, I have no idea when I am supposed to start letting my kids have real toothpaste instead of the swallowable kind (you know, with Thomas the Train Engine on it?)

At some point that I can't remember, I talked Ivy into using real toothpaste. (Well, kind of real...it tastes like bubble gum and has a picture of Dora on the tube.) I made her rinse with a cup of water after every brush so she wouldn't get a bunch in her mouth and swallow it. She took to it extremely well, trusting that her mommy was right in all things. She followed my instructions exactly and now brushes her teeth with finesse. She prefers the toothpaste that "doesn't taste like minty gum."

Story, on the other hand, never ever ever trusts her mommy about anything. She worries constantly, reminding me how to do things if I vary from the norm ever so slightly.

So, you can imagine what happened when I tried to persuade her to use Ivy's toothpaste a couple of months ago. She said, very simply, "No."

So, I pushed a little. She screamed, "NOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!" So I gave it up for a week. All week long, I talked about what a good girl Ivy was for brushing her teeth with the "good girl" toothpaste. Story didn't care.

After the week was up, I tried it again. This time I got the brush in her mouth and on her teeth before she realized what was happening. But, when she did, she gagged and screamed at the same time. I pulled the brush out immediately and Story did her impression of an exorcism by turning red, convulsing, and spraying toothpaste and spit in a wide arc around the bathroom.

I waited a couple of days this time. I tried again after her bath one night, using the smallest drop of toothpaste I could. The gagging, crying, and spitting ensued, but this time I wasn't fooled by the act. I persevered, forcing her to open her mouth so I could wiggle the toothbrush around a bit and feel like I'd accomplished something.

For several weeks, this power struggle continued. In the morning, I let her use the baby toothpaste, but after her bath, the battle was on. You'd think it would have gotten less traumatic after a couple of days, but Story has unheard of staying power. I hope she uses powers for good and not evil one day.

Now, she uses the "big girl" toothpaste at ever brushing. She still gags. Sometimes she cries and turns red, but at least we're not wrestling anymore. I'm assuming that she'll grow out of this by the time she's in college.