Today, I faced an issue that I've been dreading for at least two years.  I know it's unwise to avoid something, it's best to just do it, get through it and get on with life.  Now, this is a silly issue so bear with me.

About two years ago, we took our two sons to see the orthodontist in our town, for evaluation.  Alec, with his partial cleft lip, was obviously going to need braces as his gum has a slight divot and his adult teeth hadn't descended yet.  Chad has quite the overbite and we knew he would need braces also.  What I wasn't ready for was this doctor's extra recommendations.  For Alec, he wanted to force the adult teeth down, as they weren't advancing as much as he thought they should.  He also talked about bone grafting.  (Scream silently with me here, o.k?)  For Chad, he thought Chad's jaw needed pulling forward, in addition to braces.  (Scream again, o.k?)  I was not convinced.  And then, one of the office staff proceeded to scare the wits out of me as she described the process of making impressions.  I had always thought that since so many kids had braces, making the impressions wouldn't be all that difficult - after talking with this chick (sorry!) I had a different mindset.  I also got bad vibes from the doctor - he was way too dry, not much in the humor dept. or patient bed-side manner.  Hence, my two-year avoidance of this doctor.  They kept sending reminders that we needed to get the boys in to start work.  I had not made a contract or anything - they were just wanting me to come back.   I just couldn't do it.  We did decide to get a second opinion from the dentist at the hospital that Alec had his surgery at (as a baby) and the dentist there said to wait and see how Alec's teeth came in on their own.  He also said Alec didn't need any bone grafting.  We were relieved to hear that.  So we waited.

I'm sure you know that once you are a Mom, suddenly your gut instinct kicks in and if you listen to it, most of the time it is right.  My gut kicks in just a bit too much, so I spend a fair amount of time in prayer about most issues.  I don't want to be guided by feelings alone, I truly want God's guidance in every aspect of my life, especially where my kids' welfare is concerned.  So when my dh said I needed to do something about getting the kids into the orthodontist, I suggested trying the orthodontist in the little town just south of us.  And that's where we went today.  I really prayed for God's guidance and wisdom.  Please make it clear where I should take them!  The office has a nice view of the river, a major plus for the kids.  The doctor is a bit eccentric but if I spent my days staring into people's mouths, I might be a bit eccentric, too!  But he seemed very professional and personable.  Though he's one of those that calls his office staff, "The girls", I won't hold that against him.  We told him nothing about our prior evaluation.  Without going into all the details of the evaluations, he didn't think Alec needed anything right now other than a digital x-ray for further eval. and said that Chad didn't need his jaw moved.  I was relieved.  Then he said, "Let's get Chad started with impressions, etc."  I mildly panicked.  Was I making the right decision?  I took a deep breath and realized that to the best of my ability, I believed that God was telling me to go ahead with this doctor.  What else can you do?  You pray, look for the answer, and wait to be reassured or dismayed or whatever.  I don't know. 

So, we decided to start.  I sent Alec and Carmen into the waiting room.  If it was going to get bad, I didn't want to scare Alec.  (Chad didn't need his sibs laughing at him, either!)  And I prayed for Chad as they started to explain how impressions were going to go.  You know what?  It wasn't that big of a deal!  I've been putting this off for two years and now the moment had arrived!  It wasn't a major thing at all.  Chad is amazingly tolerant of certain things and even he said it wasn't a big deal.  I never, ever told him anything about this prior so it was new to both of us.  This doctor will even use a numbing spray to keep the gag reflex down, if you need it.  But Chad did great and they proceeded with photos and x-rays.  Deep breath!  Yea - we've started!  (Major relief felt, major burden lifted!)

Now Chad not only has glasses but he'll be in braces in 2 weeks.  And he just turned 12 the day before yesterday!  Busy week!  They are starting with just the top teeth, so as not to overwhelm the patient.  Things seem to be going better than I had hoped.  God is so good.  We'll be going to this office for 2-1/2 to 3 years and I hope it continues to be a positive experience.  And at least we'll get a chance to pay for these braces before Alec gets started (it's going to take that long to pay for them!)  Braces have more than doubled in price since I was a young adult.  Phew! 

I told you this was a silly issue.  Most parents wouldn't stress about an orthodontist, would they?  Not me.  I have to stress about everything, it seems.  My mom always said that the older you get, the less things bother you.  She was talking about herself.  She's amazing.  At 44, I still haven't found that inner strength that my mom is so good at.  I guess you have to be raised on a farm, live through three marriages, raise four girls, be widowed twice and collect koala bears to obtain the amazing strength that she possesses.  Of course, this is also the woman who told me about God and how I could pray to Him.  There lies her strength.  I'm sure God doesn't mind that I go to Him about every little thing concerning my kids.  When He answers prayer, my faith is strengthened.  So maybe it's not so silly after all.