On Braces

This afternoon, Shannon and I were on our way to her orthodontist appointment when we were delayed by a traffic accident on East Bidwell Avenue.  Her braces by the way are soon to be removed.  Dr. York is just doing a little bit more fine-tuning on the position of some of her teeth.  Usually, I check her teeth and tell her that they are the same.  This time she pointed out to me that her teeth actually have moved, before I could even inspect them.  Then the following conversation followed:

"Oh yeah.  I remember when they used to look like pop corn."

"Mommy, I would have been fine without getting braces."

"But don't you like it that you now have straight teeth...almost?"

"I lost TWO years..."

"Lost two years of eating tootsie rolls?"

"Yes,  TWO long years."

"Don't worry, during the next two years, you can eat as many tootsie rolls as you could eat in four years.  After that you'll have recovered all the lost years of eating tootsie rolls.

"I should not have braces at all. Straight teeth is not worth the pain, inability to smile well, and not being able to eat everything."

"Yes they are!  If you didn't have them you would have ended up like me."

"You're fine Mommy!  See, you got married."

"I married but you don't understand."

"Daddy loves you just the same."

"Yes, but...you don't understand."

"Mommy, straight teeth are not worth the two lost years."

"You do not understand how it feels to be married to someone whose entire family has straight teeth."

"Mommy, you're fine."

"No, I'm not.  When we all get together, I imagine that everyone is wondering about my crowded-teeth."

"Mommy, when I have children, I will tell them not to get braces.  I will tell them that they are fine the way they are.  Whenever, I see people with straight teeth these days, the only thing that comes to my mind is the thought that those people have wasted two years to get those teeth straightened."

Before completing our conversation, we got to Dr. York's office and we were late.  Shannon got a tiny spring to close the gap between her teeth.  She hopes to have them removed before the new year.  We'll see.