I got the idea (an impression?) that I should revisit the topic with her like this, "Hey Alice, remember those baby teeth you'll need to get taken out? We never really talked about how much notice you would want before the appointment. What do you think? Three weeks? Or maybe I just show up at school one day and say "Today's the day!"?"
She didn't respond with fear or avoidance. She actually liked the "surprise" idea.
I breathed a huge sigh of relief. No more guilt.
Fast forward 24 hours and Alice is struggling to choose between 1) continuing her fast for the last 2 hours or 2) immediately consuming the two packets of candy her Primary leaders gave her for taking notes during Conference last week. (Never mind that the leaders shouldn't have been giving out food on a Fast Sunday *sigh* Yes, I am also to blame, now that I'm one of those leaders. I just wasn't paying enough attention at our last meeting). I told her that this was her fast and she could decide which was more important to her. She tore off to her room. I never heard another word, nor learned the outcome of her choice.
The next morning, only hours before I would surprise her at school and whisk her away to get some teeth pulled, she asked me a strange question:
"So, Mom, on this random day sometime when we go to the dentist, will I go back to school or just come home afterwards? Like, do I have to take my flute to school?
There was a little knowing smile on her lips that made me awfully suspicious. She knew something.
A little questioning later, and it turns out she already knew her appointment was on Oct 15th. She had known it for WEEKS! She had overheard me talking to Bobby or something. She thought I wanted to keep it a secret, so she played along with my nonchalant questioning earlier in that weekend.
And (here's the kicker) her fasting and prayers the day before had been asking for peace and comfort so she wouldn't be scared of the extraction. When she was sorely wanting to break her fast for that candy, she tore off to her room. Not in a huff, but to pray. She tells me that she prayed about what she should do and she suddenly didn't feel hungry anymore. She didn't eat the candy. She completed her fast as planned. Cheerfully. And she wasn't scared anymore.
I. was. floored.
Speechless.
She did WHAT?! Holy cow! Totally on her own. Before it even occurred to me to suggest it to her. This girl. I have significantly underestimated her.
Anyway, once we all knew we all knew, she was relaxed and excited about swapping PE for ice cream and binge watching The Great British Bake Off.
She only started to panic when we stepped into the room with the dentist chair. They explained everything to her. Every step. Answered her questions (how do you actually pull the tooth out? will the numbing shot hurt?). Then they started the nitrous oxide. She asked me to hold her hand.
Minutes later, they told her the first tooth was out and she was shocked!
She felt a little goofy with the gas ("it makes everything feel pretend") and giddy that it didn't hurt and that it was all over. She wanted to know what she looked like. I snapped this picture (and share it with her permission):
The numbness was all new to her. And hilarious to her. She couldn't stop touching her top lip. She couldn't eat the popsicle they gave her. She couldn't say "my face is floppy"...it came out like "phy vase is phvlovvy" then she burst out laughing.
Here is her new smile (long after the Novocaine wore off), and the purple treasure chest containing her newly-pulled baby teeth.
What a girl.
What. a. girl.
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Exactly! What a girl. I am grateful to be related to her.
ReplyDeleteI love this story :)
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