The Cutest Brace Face You’ve Ever Seen!

Oh my goodness. My little one is not so little anymore. In fact, she’s so big that her mouth full of grown-up teeth required some extra care. This morning, my seven-year-old was fitted with a mouth full of metal.

When I was young, they waited until I was fifteen and then slapped these beasts on my teeth. These days, they start much younger. But unfortunately, that only means you end up wearing them twice. Izzy will wear this set for a year and then a couple years later, have to wear them again for a year. Which also means we get to pay for them twice. Gulp.

Paying for braces is not for the faint of heart. When I wrote the check today, I almost had to sit down and grab a paper bag. After I said a silent prayer, it turns out that I’m grateful for being able to write that check because it means that I can afford it. It also helped me put my parents in perspective. I am so grateful that my parents sacrificed so I could wear braces back in the day. I wish my mom was alive so I could tell her.

The thing about sacrifice is that it isn’t as painful when it’s for your kids. For them, it’s kind of worth it. For example, when a sick little one wakes me up in the middle of the night, I pop up and am filled with compassion. I will always sacrifice sleep for their well being. When my husband’s dog wakes me, I’m scream bad words at her in my head and contemplate how it would feel to drop her off at the shelter.

Just in case you were wondering, I would never do that. An animal is a life-long commitment. At 2 a.m., I sometimes wonder how it would feel.

But I’m way off track. Here I am talking about the dumb dog when I should be talking about braces. Izzy has been going to the orthodontist since she was five because her front tooth grew out instead of down. The poor thing can’t even smile around it. The doctor said we could wait for a couple more years but because it sticks out to far, it is much more likely to be chipped and that can be expensive and painful. Plus, the kids at school notice these kinds of things and hadn’t always been as compassionate as you would hope.

So out came the checkbook and on went the braces.

Izzy has known this day was coming for a couple of weeks. Let me tell you peeps, the dramatics have been through the roof. I call it the wounded bird routine. Basically it’s a term for a child who is so addicted to attention that she will stop at nothing to draw it in. Even pulling out the fake drama card in order to gain sympathy.

This drives me crazy.

It drives her crazy when I tell her to knock off the wounded bird routine. But as a mother, I can’t bear having a child who acts this way. ALL THE TIME.

When I went to get her from school, she was hiding under her desk. Soaking up all the attention from her classmates in the room.

I think this can only get worse as she gets older but here’s to hoping for the best.