Thursday, August 29, 2019

The Water Pik

"How do I unravel this tube?"
When I purchased a new waterpik in the spring, the unit from Costco came with a travel pack.


I didn’t have a use for it but wondered if the kids next door might use it and get used to that feeling that usually only comes when the dentist rinses out someone’s mouth.


After my mentioning it to him, Michael has been dying to try it.


"I can hardly wait for my turn."
I didn’t have the energy yet to have water shooting at the walls and up onto the ceiling as he learned so I kept putting off the evil day of teaching him how to do it.


But it wasn’t like that at all.


This morning, after each eating a Haagen-Daz bar today we got out the waterpik to practise rinsing out our mouths.

"It looks scary to me, Grandmother."

Actually that was the afternoon treat, but we moved it up to the early morning since they are like me – if there is something really fun going to happen in the day, let it happen earlier rather than later.


Now to go back a step, in the past few days, we have been reading some poems from Free to be You and Me.

My favourite poem from the book is “Boy Meets Girl,” but the kids have been wanting me to read Shel Silverstein’s “Ladies First, Ladies First” over and over.


Even though they know how the poem is going to end, they enjoy the ending each time as though they are hearing it for the first time.

"I think this will fit between my teeth."

So to begin using the waterpik this morning I reminded Michael, ladies, first, ladies first.


He stepped right back and let the two girls at the sink, remembering that in the end, they might get eaten by tigers by going first.


"I see leaning over the sink is best."
It didn’t turn out exactly that way.


"I am afraid for when it will be my turn."
We had no tigers to face.


But there was lots to be learn on first using a water pik: how to change the 6 different choice of tips, where and how to turn the on and off switch, how and why to ramp up the speed that water enters the mouth.


A lovely time was had by all.


I shouldn't have been so reticent to bring it out.
"Now that was fun."


Arta

2 comments:

  1. this makes me want to clean my teeth!

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  2. Do you have a water pik?

    I have to say that I love mine.

    The travel size came back to me last night. To have 3 children use it, and to have to stand by them while they do, and to fend off the others who want to take their turn sooner that that water pic is available? All of that alone is enough to send it back to me -- the 15 minutes in total that it takes to do all of this, plus getting the water pik out and then putting it away high enough that no one can take a second turn?

    Yes. Nobody really explains how time consuming parenting is when a couple starts this journey. Did anyone ever explain the duty of teaching a child to brush their teeth? No! The world fails new parents in this way.

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