vent irresponsible teen (minor issue but if I don't vent I will explode)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Can't you call the ortho and get another bag?

Of course she can, why is why she says it's a minor issue. But braces suck - they are a huge time suck for parents between the millions of appointments, the lost rubber bands, the long dental appointment to clean around them, the endless complaining from your kid, the constant reminders to wear your retainer and having to check that they actually do. And, no matter how often you ask or remind them, rubber bands are always an emergency because even if you had enough yesterday, they are lost by today.

It's not a big deal. I had two kids in braces. One knocked off about 20 brackets during the course of treatment. Yes that meant 20 extra appointments. Get over it, it's just not a big deal.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Can't you call the ortho and get another bag?

Of course she can, why is why she says it's a minor issue. But braces suck - they are a huge time suck for parents between the millions of appointments, the lost rubber bands, the long dental appointment to clean around them, the endless complaining from your kid, the constant reminders to wear your retainer and having to check that they actually do. And, no matter how often you ask or remind them, rubber bands are always an emergency because even if you had enough yesterday, they are lost by today.

It's not a big deal. I had two kids in braces. One knocked off about 20 brackets during the course of treatment. Yes that meant 20 extra appointments. Get over it, it's just not a big deal.

You win. You're a better mom than me. I still hate braces.

[Anonymous]

Where is his dad to help? His grand parents? Yawn.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Can't you call the ortho and get another bag?

Of course she can, why is why she says it's a minor issue. But braces suck - they are a huge time suck for parents between the millions of appointments, the lost rubber bands, the long dental appointment to clean around them, the endless complaining from your kid, the constant reminders to wear your retainer and having to check that they actually do. And, no matter how often you ask or remind them, rubber bands are always an emergency because even if you had enough yesterday, they are lost by today.

It's not a big deal. I had two kids in braces. One knocked off about 20 brackets during the course of treatment. Yes that meant 20 extra appointments. Get over it, it's just not a big deal.

Brackets don't reflect irresponsibility on behalf of the teen. Sure, I will get over it, as I do pretty much every other annoying thing my teen does. If it isn't obvious I will spell it out. My kid wasted my time and behaved irresponsibly. Pissed me off, as it should.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Where is his dad to help? His grand parents? Yawn.

If I bore you, ignore me.

Grandparents are dead, so they get a pass. Dad? Is wasting his dad's time any less of an issue than wasting mine?

[Anonymous]

I have two teenage boys and I hear you, OP. More than anything, it is the cavalier attitude that gets to me...

[Anonymous]

OP, what is with those packs? We walk out with 5 and then they are gone. So irritating. I started charging my kid for his. $5 a pack. He could have the money back if he could make it to the next appointment without losing hundreds of rubber bands!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What happens if he goes without?

For a day, nothing except a headache.

For a month, then his jaw loses some of its newly created shape.

yup and he suffers the consequences and has to wear braces that much longe. I bet from then out, he'd be more responsible.

I'd call the ortho and ask about the drawbacks of no rubber bands for the duration of camp and then make him go without if the ortho says it would be ok.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP, what is with those packs? We walk out with 5 and then they are gone. So irritating. I started charging my kid for his. $5 a pack. He could have the money back if he could make it to the next appointment without losing hundreds of rubber bands!

Awesome idea! Do I dare ask if you've ever had to give back any money? I've been after him for a while to move a few days worth of bands into a dime bag (I don't know what else to call those little bags) so that when he does lose the bag, it isn't very many.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What happens if he goes without?

For a day, nothing except a headache.

For a month, then his jaw loses some of its newly created shape.

yup and he suffers the consequences and has to wear braces that much longe. I bet from then out, he'd be more responsible.

I'd call the ortho and ask about the drawbacks of no rubber bands for the duration of camp and then make him go without if the ortho says it would be ok.

I get your point about consequences, but it isn't just the extra month -- this isn't just a little straightening we're dealing with and the appliance that made the newly arch can't go back in. The bands have to go on.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have two teenage boys and I hear you, OP. More than anything, it is the cavalier attitude that gets to me...

Yes, exactly. That's what my explosion is about. Certainly not $5 of plastic.

[Anonymous]

have the house keeper fetch and deliver them to him

[Anonymous]

Thank you all for helping pull me back from the edge.

We did tear apart the house and found a half bag of bands, which takes the pressure off tomorrow. I eventually got a pretty good apology for wasting my time and a plan for how he will get the bands without wasting much more of it.

Teens are a joy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:have the house keeper fetch and deliver them to him

your housekeeper?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Can't you call the ortho and get another bag?

Of course she can, why is why she says it's a minor issue. But braces suck - they are a huge time suck for parents between the millions of appointments, the lost rubber bands, the long dental appointment to clean around them, the endless complaining from your kid, the constant reminders to wear your retainer and having to check that they actually do. And, no matter how often you ask or remind them, rubber bands are always an emergency because even if you had enough yesterday, they are lost by today.

It's not a big deal. I had two kids in braces. One knocked off about 20 brackets during the course of treatment. Yes that meant 20 extra appointments. Get over it, it's just not a big deal.

Brackets don't reflect irresponsibility on behalf of the teen. Sure, I will get over it, as I do pretty much every other annoying thing my teen does. If it isn't obvious I will spell it out. My kid wasted my time and behaved irresponsibly. Pissed me off, as it should.

How do brackets not reflect irresponsibility? He fidgeted and chewed pens till brackets fell off. My kid wasted tons of time.
Stop being obsessed with work. Would a SAHM fret over this?