Parents, Just Say No: Mom Talk

A child I know has eight cavities and needs a crown. The boy is 5 years old.

Someone that age only has 20 teeth. So that means he has cavities in nearly half his mouth. That takes effort. In order to get that much trouble, he would have to have both a bad diet and poor brushing discipline.

Time and again, I complain about parents who refuse to tell their children no. Not only do kids thrive on structure, it keeps them from harm.

If parents say, "No, son, you cannot eat that sugary crap," and, "No, son, you cannot go to bed without brushing your teeth," kids like this one wouldn't have to suffer the consequences.

I don't know this child well, but I would guess he has weight issues from eating all that crap. There is a fair chance he is hyper and has attention problems. Excess sugar does that.

How are they going to get a 5-year-old to sit in a chair while having nine teeth drilled? That would take discipline. But wait; if he had it, he wouldn't be in the chair in the first place.

Parents today need to say no more often — and mean it. When they are teens, we ask them to “just say no to drugs.” How can we expect them to say no when they have had no experience thus far?

Parents, it’s time we practice what we preach.