Monday 25 May 2015

The tooth, the whole tooth (Adventures of L-Plate Gran)


And so Little G's teething marathon continues. I do not know what lap we are in, but I'm hoping we are about to complete it. Such is my current dental fixation that the first question I ask parents of any babies I encounter is not the name/age/sex of their child but how many teeth they have.

All, without exception, have more than Little G. Mind, she manages pretty well with two bottom and one top one. I am observing her crust technique for future reference. Meanwhile You must be mad and I try to focus on Little G's undoubted intelligence, and the fact that she can already hum a Watford supporters' song (no words thankfully and we blame Grandad for singing it to her).

Teeth are a mere by-product, we tell ourselves. She is clearly developing her brain first. But oh my - she is suffering. Of course You must be mad has been offered loads of advice, but all of it involves putting a fingerful of various gels into Little G's firmly clamped mouth, so it is not a viable option.

Last week Little G had a total meltdown on the 321 bus going back to St Albans. Never done this before as we like our bus trips. Screaming, arching her back, red-cheeked and inconsolable. Having tried every technique known to womankind to calm her down, finally I got up, turned round, and apologised to the rest of the bus for the noise.

I explained that the baby was teething, and however much it was annoying them, she was hurting far more. Luckily the bus was full of pensioners, so instead of pursed lips, tutting and disapproving stares, Little G and I were bathed in a warm wave of sympathy.

I think we will all be very glad when this particular phase of her development ends, though. To paraphrase King Lear (rather badly): ''How sharper than a serpent's thanks to have a toothless child.'' 


To be continued ... ...

13 comments:

  1. I think you are earning your nanny wings the hard way, Carol, but you are managing it with such wit and aplomb. As an ex nanny myself, I applaud you!

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  2. ...an incisor-sive post ,m’Lady,Carol ! :):)

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  3. Teething rings can help and the gels do work, so it is worth persevering.

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  4. A very trying time for you all...I sympathise :-(

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  5. Oh buses and children. I recall a trip with C, aged 4 - and he decided to sing Jingle Bells, loudly - in February. One woman almost fell of her seat trying not to laugh!!

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    1. I have (tho always had) endless sympathy for mums with howling children.

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    2. Me too. I always take the view that unlike the unfortunate mother, I have the option of walking away from it.

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  6. Have to say, everytime I'm on a bus, and I see a woman manoevering her buggy on board - I think of you, and send some sympathy for struggling mums and grans out into the world! :)

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    1. Excellent. Nothing worse than trying to contain a screaming child to general disapproval

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  7. Poor both of you! I can just picture that bus scenario. They grow up so quickly though...really they do!

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