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Jewish World Review Oct. 21, 2005 / 18 Tishrei, 5766 Parents may need to brush up on discipline By Lori Borgman
http://www.JewishWorldReview.com |
I have just received my second blinking toothbrush in two months.
This, by the way, highlights a fundamental difference between business CEOs and newspaper columnists. CEOs receive freebies like golf outings, time in beach front condos and excursions on yachts, whereas columnists are more likely to receive plastic freebies pertaining to children's dental hygiene.
Not that it matters, and journalists do not accept gifts, but I just thought it was a tidbit of interest you college students might want to ponder as you make those all-important career and education choices.
Anyway, the first blinking toothbrush had a clear handle with a red light that flashed for 60 seconds at a time. The package said, ‘ Perfect for kids who don't brush.’
I was a little confused as to why a kid who didn't brush would need a toothbrush, but then I realized they were hoping that the novelty of the flashing light would turn non-brushers into brushers and get them brushing once, twice, maybe even three times a day. Of course, this was assuming the little non-brushers had any teeth left to brush.
Eight weeks later, I received another blinking toothbrush. This was a new and improved blinking toothbrush that featured, and I quote, ‘ blinking technology.’ It had a clear handle that contained blue sparkles and a yellow duck with a red light inside him that blinked like a coastal lighthouse warning approaching ships in a thick fog. It is the Cadillac of blinking toothbrushes.
I read through the press kit that accompanied the new and improved blinking toothbrush and, once again, was left thinking that something was amiss.
The press release said that the toothbrush ‘ gives children the inspiration to brush . . . ’ That's right, the inspiration to brush. So, I'm guessing that giving children the inspiration to brush is the new, preferred method of avoiding tooth decay, as opposed to the old method where a parent simply looked at a kid and said, ‘Hey, go brush your teeth.’
I called a dentist friend to ask what he thought about giving kids inspiration to brush. He said he liked it better than giving them miniature Snickers bars, but nothing beats a good toothpaste with fluoride.
I can't remember offering inspiration for our kids to brush their teeth. But then I couldn't remember offering them inspiration to do anything else, either. Just because we didn't offer inspiration, doesn't mean we didn't offer other things.
When the oldest received shaky mid-term reports in high school, I didn't offer inspiration, I offered warmth. It was called lighting a fire. I graphically explained what his sequestered and secluded life would look like if the grades were not pulled up by the quarter s end. Oftentimes my speech radiated such warmth that it left him with a light perspiration covering his entire forehead. If he was inspired, it was mere coincidence.
When the girls would get territorial in the bathroom, we suggested the possibility of each girl being limited to a maximum 10 minutes of bathroom time before school. They called it a threat. We called it a promise. Whatever it was, it restored peace, so in the long run it must have been inspiring.
After giving the matter some thought, I realize there are many means of providing inspiration. Some parents rely on blinking technology, others prefer to simply show a little fang.
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JWR contributor Lori Borgman is the author of , most recently, "Pass the Faith, Please" (Click HERE to purchase. Sales help fund JWR.) and I Was a Better Mother Before I Had Kids To comment, please click here. To visit her website click here.
© 2005, Lori Borgman
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Arnold Ahlert | |||||||||||
