Remember, Count Your Blessings
When I attempt to title some of these updates, I have to think hard about my message. Not so much to sum up the words following the title, because the words within the article are clear enough. But sometimes I need a reminder to count my blessings. Sometimes the people reading these need that reminder as well. We take so much for granted. We become entitled. Oftentimes without realizing it's occurred because we grew up with the conveniences we have. It doesn't hurt to put ourselves in check when we realize we're behaving self righteously.
I've spent the past month making a range of appointments for the man cubs for basic checkups, only to end up having to make more. *eye roll* I will never understand how you can cut nearly every fake food out of your diet and still have a mouthful of cavities. I say this as someone who has always struggled with dental health despite everything---and is now seeing the same issue with my sons' teeth. Tell me with a straight face that genetics don't have something to do with this. And call me a liar to my face when I state our diet is not the same as majority of society--so therefore the laundry list of foods rambled at said appointments that cause cavities do not apply to my children. Frustrating.
Now, that being said, I need to remind myself that I have four healthy man cubs. That is a blessing. Yes, they need dental work. But it seems that between the places we are currently bouncing between to get everyone taken care of, we may have actually found a group of people who are gonna listen and care about what our children need. That is another blessing. Baby steps.
Every man cub requires dental work, including David. Which, if anyone goes back a few years in my posts, you will see that the last major amount of work that occurred was for Isaac. And that was a nightmare. I should have reported that dentist who was so rough with him. I should have went after him like flies on ****. But I didn't. I ended up taking him elsewhere years later. He's nearly eleven, and to do this day, cannot sit in a dentist's chair without wailing. So you understand my anxiety knowing that David is the same age Isaac was when he was traumatized for life over what should have been a simple bit of dental work. I know better now. And I'm meaner now. No shame.
Nobody talks about this kind of thing. Not enough, anyway. Medical and dental malpractice DO happen. And it's literally traumatizing when it does. No child, or person in general, should be unable to have a routine teeth cleaning. Full stop.
This brings me to another blessing to count. Isaac made it through the entire dental appointment for the first time in five years, in May. His teeth were cleaned, fully. He cried through the entire thing. But he made it through. That's progress. And, when speaking with the dentist that same day, I informed her of why he is so fearful, nearly in tears myself because of how guilty I feel about it now for not assaulting that man. She didn't invalidate me. She listened to every word, eyes growing like saucers by the time I had finished. She believed me. Somebody finally believed me. And now they know they have to take extra care with Isaac. And I will take no less in regards to any of my sons. First time Mom lesson learned five years ago. Now, I will Wookie your arms off and throw them in the Sarlac pit!
By mid August, everyone will have had their yearly physical, dental exam plus some dental work accomplished; routine eye exams plus Irlen screening, and orthodontist consults. It's too much in such a short time frame. Summer vacation, my butt! But I ain't doing none of this junk during the regular school year. Ain't nobody got time for that! Please pray that everything goes smoothly--specifically with the dental work. I'm very much ready for that to be over!
With that, I need to remind myself of so many more blessings that I did not mention. Things not going my way, expectations not being met, feeling that this particular season of life is unfair (to my sons), is not irrelevant, but not the mindset to have either. We are blessed beyond measure. It's the conveniences of life that make us soft, expectant, entitled and otherwise ungrateful. Count your blessings, y'all. Name them one by one. See what God has done.