Yesterday, I posted an article about tantrums, and later that day, I took my kids to the dentist where, lo and behold, I dealt with a nasty tantrum in the dentists' office.
Let me start by saying, my kids love going to the dentist. They love it as much as going to the Betty Brinn Children's Museum or Discovery World. Mostly, because they have never had a cavity, thanks to genetically strong enamel on their teeth.
However, when we arrived at the dentist yesterday, the receptionist informed me that my insurance company wouldn't cover my youngest son's appointment because he had a teeth cleaning less than six months ago.
Upon hearing this news, my kid burst into tears. Then he started wailing in the otherwise-quiet office, even threw a Highlights magazine on the ground and stomped on it. Between sobs he cried, "I want my dentist! I want my new toothbrush! I want to ride up and down on the chaaaaiiirr!"
The waiting room was filled with adults, none of whom looked the least bit excited about their future new toothbrush or chair ride. A couple of the patients and I caught eyes and smiled, just a little bit, because of the hilarity of someone being so damn upset over a canceled dentist appointment.
"I'm here for a root canal," said one guy. "I'd be happy to give up my appointment."
I didn't realize it at the time, but while my kid was melting down, the receptionist called my insurance company and got clearance for my son's dentist appointment since we were just a couple days shy of the six-month waiting period. When she told me the news, my son switched off his tantrum like a nightlight, and sat quietly in his chair.
"Yay," he said, smiling.
I was mixed with emotion. It was certainly nice and above-and-beyond customer-friendly that the receptionist went to the trouble to have my son's dentist appointment approved, but at the same time, it reinforced to my son that a big, fat tantrum gets ya what ya want. Sigh.
Molly Snyder started writing and publishing her work at the age 10, when her community newspaper printed her poem, "The Unicorn.” Since then, she's expanded beyond the subject of mythical creatures and written in many different mediums but, nearest and dearest to her heart, thousands of articles for OnMilwaukee.
Molly is a regular contributor to FOX6 News and numerous radio stations as well as the co-host of "Dandelions: A Podcast For Women.” She's received five Milwaukee Press Club Awards, served as the Pfister Narrator and is the Wisconsin State Fair’s Celebrity Cream Puff Eating Champion of 2019.
