I was a little crazy about brushing my teeth as a kid – I absolutely hated it. If you asked me why, I would have told you it was because brushing my teeth was “boring” and that toothpaste tasted like Coco’s butt. (Coco was my dog.) As a result, whenever my parents asked me if I had brushed my teeth I would emphatically answer, “Yes!” even if I had just polished off a vat of garlic flavored popcorn with nuts.

The only thing I hated more than brushing my teeth was going to the dentist. Back then dentists (or at least my weirdo dentist) didn’t wear gloves, so my only memory of check-ups was having my dentist cram his hairy knuckles into my mouth.

Wait. That’s not entirely true. I also remember one horrible moment when I was lying in the chair and looked up to see a giant booger hanging out of my dentist’s nose. I tried to close my mouth, but he barked, “Wider please,” and leaned closer. I shut my eyes in horror. When I dared to open them a few moments later, the booger was gone. I still wake up in a cold sweat at night worrying about where it went.

So, having heard all of that, you might think that I’m not the best person to teach Annabel about taking care of her teeth. You’d be wrong though. I have seen the light and now understand just how important it is to take care of your teeth.

Thankfully, Annabel is the exact opposite of me as kid (at least so far). She loves to have her teeth brushed!

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She even loves toothpaste!

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And, to my amazement, she will even brush her teeth all by herself!

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Here’s hoping Annie always stays so good about taking care of her teeth… God knows I’ve heard enough horror stories about kids and their dental hygiene – not all of which were about me!