dentist aftermath

Ben did well at the dentist. We got to the office, and he drank the oral Versed (thank goodness he liked the flavor!), then sat down with me to watch some Dora in the kids' area. About 15 minutes later, he moved his head and said, "Whoa! I'm so dizzy!" and within the next minute he was slurring his words and giggling. The one thing he was worried about beforehand, was whether or not this new dentist would use the mask (nose mask for the nitrous). I told him I wasn't sure and that we'd have to wait and see. He was so out of it, that I was sure he wouldn't notice...but the one thing I could understand him saying during the whole procedure was, "Uhmmm mmmum uhh huuuuaahhhte thissshh mahhhshk!". After we got home, and both took a three hour nap, he woke completely back to normal. The first thing he asked was if his cavity was filled, I said yes, and he sighed with relief. I asked if he remembered anything from the dentist and he shook his head no, then said "Wait a minute! I remember...they used the mask!"

Ben's new elementary school is a K-8 with super cushy hours: 9:15 to 3:30pm (his old school started at 7:50). The k-2 kids are in one building, and the 3-8 are in another. I'm eagerly looking forward to a new school year. I'm really hoping he's matured and gets a great teacher. I think he's going to love eating in the cafeteria for lunch (he has a thing for cafeterias).

By the way...have to get in a good word for my new favorite book (and fellow mom). For a good dose of parental reality, pick up a copy of this book at your local library or bookstore: Free Range Kids by Lenore Skenazy (aka "America's Worst Mom"). You can visit her blog here. This is the first parenting book that I read cover to cover. Her writing his fantastic, and I just loved her humor (not to mention the huge reality check). I highly recommend it. Because of this book I allowed my six year old to ride his scooter out front, on the sidewalk near the street, by himself, and without parental supervision. Gasp! He'd been whining that he wanted to go out and ride his scooter. I kept telling him "not now" and "later" since I was in the middle of something or other and didn't want to go out front. Finally he said, "But I can go out by myself! I'll be fine!" And you know what, he was right. He could and would be fine. There was absolutely no reason to keep him cooped up inside. I layed out the ground rules for him (he was not allowed to go in or cross the street by himself, but he could go either direction on the sidewalk, and even follow it all the way around the block if he wanted). He zoomed up and down a few times, and then spent the remaining time out front playing with the spiderwebs and bugs on the front step.