Thituation Ethicths
Posted by Rachel Balducci in Family on Tuesday, November 18, 2008 3:30 PM
So we’re having a bit of a dilemma around here and I’m curious to see how you would handle a similar situation.
Our son, we’ll call him “Augie,” has this tooth. It’s a loose tooth, a disconcertingly loose front tooth that has been hanging by a thread for about five days. It needs to come out.
In order to touch this tooth, and try to remove it, I have to bribe my son. Yesterday, I paid “Augie” one Starburst candy for the opportunity to wiggle his tooth five times. And yes, I’ll admit (with only a hint of shame) that on the fourth wiggle I grabbed the tooth and tried to yank it out. Isn’t that what any reasonable person would have done? I think so. Either way, it was to no avail. That tooth just dangled there, mocking me with its loose toothiness. And of course, Augie rescinded that last wiggle. I felt a bit cheap but mostly aggravated.
Each evening, after our son has gone to bed, Paul and I look at each other and wonder out loud if we should we just sneak up to his room and be done with it. How traumatized would our son be if we pulled his tooth for him while he slumbered? Would that really be so terrible? We could tell him it was for his own good, that we didn’t want to risk having him swallow the thing in his sleep. Or maybe we should tell him he did swallow it in his sleep.
Have you ever done such a thing? I can’t decide if it would really be as horrible as it seems. Mostly, I want to know why I can’t just leave it be and quit thinking about that tooth, the one calling my name, begging to be plucked.
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