Maturity begins to grow when you can sense your concern for others outweighing your concern for yourself.  ~John MacNaughton

Ringing in 2009 with a new smile 12/31/08

You know, Kyle didn’t lose his first tooth until he was in the third grade, he’s in the fifth grade now.  In fact, I plucked that tooth out on New Year’s Eve Day. It took me a better part of the day to convince Kyle to let me pull it out.  It’s amazing how the one little tooth drove me crazy just hanging there.  And it’s amazing how the idea of pulling one little tooth stressed him out.  Kyle’s not the bravest when it comes to pain or blood, let alone the thought of it.  I think that was and always is Kyle’s biggest fear, the unknown.  Well, maybe not the unknown per se, but his perception of what it should be like, his imagination spinning completely out of control.  Anyway, at this point, Kyle was upset because all the kids in his class already lost at least one tooth, not to mention those that have already lost all baby teeth replaced by adult teeth.  None of this was a concern to me, not one bit. In fact, I was very happy that Kyle was a late bloomer.  I want him to be a kid as long as he can and really enjoy his childhood.  Not to mention, we Pipers are generally late bloomers.  So he certainly fits the Piper profile.  My mom, not a Piper by birthright, didn’t lose her last baby tooth until she was in her early twenties.  I don’t think I lost my last one until I was Kyle’s age now, somewhere in fifth grade or so, maybe later.

Kyle ringing in the New Year! Of course with the least amount of clothing on 12/31/09

I remember when my teeth were starting to fall out.  My pappy would get out his red handkerchief and try to attach it to the smooth sides of the tiny tooth to give him some grip and pull.  I remember we had a hard time getting one of my teeth out.  I was never grossed out or feared pulling out my teeth. Sitting on the sink in the bathroom and starring at the hanging tooth and examining  the root was fascinating to me.  However, not all of my baby teeth fell out naturally.  You see, at one point, my adult teeth started to surface along side my baby teeth.  Would you believe my baby teeth never loosened up?  So needless to say, it became very crowded very quickly.  Mom had to take me to the dentist to give an eviction notice to those who would not leave the premises.  On a side note, I guess I shouldn’t be so hard on Kyle because that particular visit didn’t go as bravely as I may have remembered.  I know the dentist wanted to give me a shot of Novocaine before he began yanking out the culprits.  Ambushing my dentist with a slight over reaction started the whole adventure.  I do remember waiting until he approached my mouth with the needle before I forceably moved his hands, needle included, out of their course of action.  That did result in me shooting the dentist in the arm with the needle of Novocaine, which ultimately resulted in me getting yelled at by the dentist, getting a shot anyway, and the removal of a few stubborn baby teeth.  On my defense, I think I was suffering from PTSD when I was attacked by a dog and the side of my face, near my eye, had to be stitched up.

I plucked Kyle's first tooth on New Year's Eve - Ringing in 2009 12/31/08

Regardless, back to Kyle.  He still comments on the lack of teeth he’s lost comparatively to what he has, as well as his friends.  But I have been telling him that they’ll eventually come out.  Of course not mentioning my experience or the fact he may need to get them removed professionally.  I think I’ll deal with that situation when the time comes.

Now, to lighten the tooth pulling mood, this story needs to be shared just for the simple humor and innocence that resides in the mind of Kyle.  Let’s talk about armpit hair! Or I really should say, the invisible armpit hair.  One evening during Kyle’s nightly ritual of showering he summoned me to the bathroom.  I heard him saying, “Aunt Heather, look! I can see it!”  I thought, “What in the world is he seeing in the shower? Keep in mind, he was probably six or seven years old.  I pushed the shower curtain aside and asked, “What’s wrong honey?”  While raising his arm, exposing the armpit, Kyle starts telling me that he saw a hair.  What?  O my!  Did he just say he saw a hair?  That was the funniest thing I think I’ve ever heard.  Now keep in mind, I don’t think Kyle even had any hair on his legs, if very few and they were blonde!  Again, back to being a late bloomer.  In disbelief I asked, “What did you see?” His response as clear as day was, “Ya, Aunt Heather, look! I have a hair.”  I proceeded to tell him there was no hair.  But he wouldn’t believe me.  He said, “Look closer, Aunt Heather! I saw a hair!”  Again, even though he was thoroughly convinced there was a hair in his armpit, I reiterated there was no hair.  In fact, he would not give up on the idea, he said, “O, it must have fallen out when I was scrubbing.”  What a card!  He stood there, holding up his arm to expose the armpit to me for complete examination.  That was too funny!!  A real Kyle classic.

Kyle with Scooby Ringing in 2010! 12/31/09

Dad is to blame for that one.  You see, even to this day, he sometimes likes to tease Kyle poking at his armpits and saying, “I think I see a bush! Is that a bush under there!”  Kyle always did and still does giggle and gets very ticklish.  I must say, it is kinda funny.  Kyle is now ten, and still no armpit hair.

I guess there are all sorts of growing pains and many more to talk about.  Maybe later. After all, it seems to be around the corner. Kyle is growing up so fast.