Dental Hygiene
Marcus and Will had their first dentist appointment yesterday. My sister recommended her pediatric dentist who is located in Moon Twp. It was a bit of a drive but was definitely worth it. They were absolutely amazing with our kids. Let me know if you need the name!
Greg was off work yesterday. He had to attend a funeral for his uncle who passed away unexpectedly over the weekend. He was able to come with us to the dentist before heading out to the funeral.
Both kids were pretty excited about the dentist at first, mainly because I told them that they would be getting new toothbrushes. Then when we actually got called back, both of them were a bit skeptical on how fun it would really be. It didn't take long before they were put at ease. The dental hygienists explained everything to the kids in a way they could understand before they did anything. I was just so relieved that everything went so well. And no cavities! Originally they were just going to do a quick exam on Will because of his age but he did so well that they were able to do a full cleaning and fluoride treatment on both kids.
I was not expecting to spend so much time at the dentist discussing adoption. It all started when a women at the front desk was thoroughly confused on how Marcus and Will could have been born in the same year. Part of me wanted to give her a lesson on human reproduction and how typical gestation is 9 months and a year has 12 months. However, I just said, "They are not biological brothers." I thought that would be the end of it but later there were questions about how old they were when we adopted them and whether they were born in different parts of the country. I am assuming the latter question was because they don't look alike, which is in part because of where their birthparents were from, but more so because they have different birthparents. (Just as I don't look like my neighbors who were born in the same city as was because we came from different birthparents.)
I have found I have gotten a little weird about talking about adoption with people I don't know. I've always been a bit uneasy because I never know just why the person is so curious about our family. Now I am becoming more uneasy because I know that my kids understand what I say and I want to make sure that I say things in a way that will be healthy for my children to hear and still answer the questions of adults. I hesitate when people ask questions, giving myself a second to think of the best way to phrase something or to answer their question without giving out information that maybe my children (and me) would rather keep private. I remember back before we adopted Marcus we attended a class to prepare us for some issues that might arise after our children were home. One thing that was brought up was that at first people tend to talk a lot about the adoption. But then there becomes a bit of a disconnect between how the parents view adoption and how the children view it. Just as the children start to get to an age when they are becoming aware of how they may look different from their parents and asking questions about their origin, the parents are becoming so comfortable with their adopted children that they stop seeing the difference. Perhaps this is the beginning of this stage. I talk with my kids about where they were born sometimes and tell them about how we adopted them, but they don't ask questions yet. Often I forget to bring anything up because I look at my kids just see my kids, and don't notice the physical differences.
Greg was off work yesterday. He had to attend a funeral for his uncle who passed away unexpectedly over the weekend. He was able to come with us to the dentist before heading out to the funeral.
Both kids were pretty excited about the dentist at first, mainly because I told them that they would be getting new toothbrushes. Then when we actually got called back, both of them were a bit skeptical on how fun it would really be. It didn't take long before they were put at ease. The dental hygienists explained everything to the kids in a way they could understand before they did anything. I was just so relieved that everything went so well. And no cavities! Originally they were just going to do a quick exam on Will because of his age but he did so well that they were able to do a full cleaning and fluoride treatment on both kids.
I was not expecting to spend so much time at the dentist discussing adoption. It all started when a women at the front desk was thoroughly confused on how Marcus and Will could have been born in the same year. Part of me wanted to give her a lesson on human reproduction and how typical gestation is 9 months and a year has 12 months. However, I just said, "They are not biological brothers." I thought that would be the end of it but later there were questions about how old they were when we adopted them and whether they were born in different parts of the country. I am assuming the latter question was because they don't look alike, which is in part because of where their birthparents were from, but more so because they have different birthparents. (Just as I don't look like my neighbors who were born in the same city as was because we came from different birthparents.)
I have found I have gotten a little weird about talking about adoption with people I don't know. I've always been a bit uneasy because I never know just why the person is so curious about our family. Now I am becoming more uneasy because I know that my kids understand what I say and I want to make sure that I say things in a way that will be healthy for my children to hear and still answer the questions of adults. I hesitate when people ask questions, giving myself a second to think of the best way to phrase something or to answer their question without giving out information that maybe my children (and me) would rather keep private. I remember back before we adopted Marcus we attended a class to prepare us for some issues that might arise after our children were home. One thing that was brought up was that at first people tend to talk a lot about the adoption. But then there becomes a bit of a disconnect between how the parents view adoption and how the children view it. Just as the children start to get to an age when they are becoming aware of how they may look different from their parents and asking questions about their origin, the parents are becoming so comfortable with their adopted children that they stop seeing the difference. Perhaps this is the beginning of this stage. I talk with my kids about where they were born sometimes and tell them about how we adopted them, but they don't ask questions yet. Often I forget to bring anything up because I look at my kids just see my kids, and don't notice the physical differences.
posted by Annie and Greg @ 2:34 PM
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