Nail Biting, Skipping the Floss. Having Babies?

It’s nail-trimming time, Buddy.”

Cole groans.

“Hey, I’m doing it right out of the tub, when they're nice and soft. It should be painless.”

I take on toenail duty first. Luckily he soaked long enough so there wasn’t too much grime.

“Now, give me your fingers. Hmmm. Cole, they're all short? What’s going on?”

“I bit them off so you don’t have to trim them.”

Excellent. That’ll certainly save me some time.


A day later I’m completing an orthodontist questionnaire for Alex. The question: “How frequently does your child floss?” First of all, does my child floss? I bought some colorful flossing-type tool for the kids about a year ago. They were both pretty excited about flossing for a couple of days. We still have an ample supply.

So, here I am at the ripe old age of 39 wondering if we should consider having one more child. I think it’s a warped sort of way of clinging to my youth. How in the world could I fit another child in when I'm not even sure if my kids are flossing? What in the world could I be thinking?

So the next time I get an inkling about another baby, I know just what I'll do. Trim Cole's nails. And lecture him about the ickiness of biting them.