Help Your Child Adjust To The Idea Of Getting Braces

Braces is not a term that makes parents or their kids happy.  While parents are thinking about all of the dollar signs they are going to have come up with, kids are thinking how they are going to survive the next two years wearing braces.  They worry about this for several different reasons.

Kids worry that they will be made fun of for wearing braces but the truth is that braces are so common in this day and time that most kids don’t bat an eye at seeing another kid wearing them.  Also, they aren’t the boring, dull silver they were years ago.  Even if they are silver, there are so many different color combinations that can be added to braces and generally, changed up monthly.  Girls especially love this perk and all the color combinations that they can wear.

Kids may worry about the pain and in truth, they probably will experience some discomfort from time to time with their braces.  However, it is probably not going to be nearly as bad as they are expecting and it is good to remind them of that fact.

Another worry your kids may have about getting braces is all of the foods that they cannot eat while wearing them.  In truth, there are a lot of foods that it is better if your children avoid when they are wearing braces.  One thing that can help is to offer replacement foods in place of their favorites.  My daughter was especially bummed when she found out that chewing gum and popcorn were on the list of foods best avoided.  Once I offered to keep mints for her and stock up on her other favorite snacks, she was happy again.

You can also remind your child that this is a temporary situation and they will thank you for it when they are older.

Image Credit: Frugal Dad