My view of the dentist’s office changed last week. I owe my new perspective to two young mothers. The first one got me laughing. The second got me thinking.
The first, an exhausted mother of four young children, said, “I’m so tired; my idea of a vacation is a trip to the dentist. I just can’t wait to sit in that chair and relax.” Too funny, I thought. Relaxing at the dentist? I can’t say that thought ever crossed my mind before.
Then a couple days later another young mom posted this on Facebook – “I literally feel so rejuvenated after some alone time this morning. Jeremy took Gavin to school and I went to the dentist. That’s how much I needed some alone time.”
I’m pretty sure the feeling these two moms have is not connected to the really cool spa like conditions that entice people to make frequent visits to their dentist. Treatment fit for royalty. A luxurious reclining chair. Comfort medication. Relaxing music. I mean, what more could you ask for?
Please understand, I’m not down on dentists. Over the years I’ve done my best to keep them in business and endowed for retirement. And mine is a really nice guy who tries his best to make my visits as painless as possible. But I’ve never thought of it as the highlight of my day.
It’s funny, but also kind of sad, that young moms can get so overwhelmed with all their responsibilities that they consider going to the dentist as a relaxing break. Doesn’t that kind of say the rest of us need to think about what we can do to make things a little easier for them?
So what can we do? If you live with a young mom, or are related to one, or simply know one… be watching for opportunities to help her out. It won‘t be hard to find ways you can lighten her load and give her a break. Even if it’s just watching her kids while she goes to the dentist.
by David Gudgel