6 Reasons Why Tweens With Braces are Just Like Toddlers!

Tweens!  Now that my oldest is twelve we’re entering stages of parenting that I’ve never experienced before.  Tweens are already a mess with all that puberty stuff and just as much fun as our own emotional pregnant and PMSing selves.  I have a feeling that parenting through this stuff is going to be a lot like parenting a toddler.  This week we added braces to our lives (his teeth, not mine) and it’s been….hilarious!! Here’s a video I took of him of the first day after getting braces….oh how quickly the joy and excitement wore off!

 

1. Do teething drops work for braces? I’m not one to medicate my child, but braces do hurt.  I remember them from when I was his age and they hurt for a while, and again every time you get them tightened. He only relied on the pain reliever for the first few days and I think he’s finally getting use to the feeling of his braces.

2. Buy a splatter shield for all the spit!  There is so much spit coming from their mouth.  He hasn’t learned how to properly swallow yet (he has an appliance on the roof of his mouth too) so instead of swallowing the spit, it’s splattered at whomever he’s talking to.  His teacher told me it’s like talking to Sylvester the cat!

3. Pass me the ear plugs! OMG…I’m not usually one to complain about noises but the sound of him attempting to swallow (slurping spit) is SOOOO annoying!!  I’m trying to be patient and he really is getting better and learning how to swallow better.

4. I need a translator! I can’t even begin to tell you how many times I’ve said “Huh?” and “What?” this week.  I cannot understand half of what he says.  Again, the appliance on the roof of his mouth is making it hard for him to “talk normal!”

5. …the whining…oh the whining!! Thankfully this one only last a few days, but he was whining and crying pretty bad day 1-3 dealing with the pain and the hunger!  I honestly thought I was dealing with a toddler all over again.

6. Liquid diet!! For starters, they can’t eat anything crunchy or hard while they have braces on unless they break it into teeny tiny bite sized pieces.  The first few days consisted of smoothies and mashed potatoes.  We’re finally getting back to the toddler stage and introducing new soft foods again.  He’s mastered the mac-n-cheese finally.  Yesterday he asked for applesauce.  Think he’d go for baby food?  Probably not?!!

At least he’s going to end up with a pretty new smile when all of this is over AND all his friends are in the same stage.  It’s like a right of passage for them I guess.  I wonder if the cafeteria at school has a special line just for middle schoolers with braces?  If not, they totally should!! I’ve been told by other parents that there’s more fun to come, like picking up gross rubberbands that they leave laying everywhere?!!

Have you entered the tween stage with your kids yet?  Parented a child with braces?  Please feel free to share your stories in the comments.