As our son is getting older he is getting more teeth. He very quickly aquired about seven teeth before he turned one and then held off for a couple of months. Now he has a molar that has come through. When he laughs or smiles a great deal (something that is a very frequent occurance) we are able to see this lone molar in the back of his mouth. It stands out at the moment because it is all alone in the back of his mouth. Some of the books we’ve started reading deal with more complicated parts of the body (like teeth and the tongue and hair) and he now reaches into his mouth to demonstrate his knowledge of the word “teeth” so that he can feel them himself. They’re just like Mom and Dad’s teeth. He’s quite proud. While he certainly has a toothbrush that he uses and really enjoys this post isn’t actually about teeth at all: it’s about dental floss.
Earlier this week as I was sitting at my desk working on a lesson for my students my wife said our son’s name in that way that is reserved for moments where he’s about to do (or is currently doing) something he shouldn’t. This could range from dumping his watter bottle into a shoe to somehow getting hold of a hammer or other tool that might do him harm. This time our son had opened up a plastic container of dental floss. He had taken out the tightly would circle in the middle of the package in order to chew on it: it was mint flavored. When I walked over to him he smiled, handed it to me (he was trying to share), and then shrugged and made a sound and body movement communicating “No? Whatever” and continued to chew and suck on the floss. He’s pretty resourceful… I didn’t think there were other uses for dental floss.