Why Little Boys Need Their Mothers but Prefer Their Dads

After Austin got his first pair of teeth in, it was off to the store to buy his first toothbrush and toothpaste. My jaw dropped as literally half of the "dental" aisle was full of kids stuff. My word!! Who knew little people toothbrush and toothpaste had so many options? Out of the hundreds of kinds of toothpaste, there was only one without fluoride so that made that decision easy. Not that I am against using fluoride toothpaste, in fact I am a fan, but at Austin's tender age I don't want him swallowing any. He will have to wait until he's older. So the toothpaste I got was apple/banana flavored. Honestly... that sounds disgusting!! But it's Austin's new favorite flavor. In fact, I think he would much prefer to skip his Chicken and Rice for dinner and just have his toothpaste.

The toothbrush was a much more difficult decision to make. There were lots on the shelf and it felt like the options were endless. After eliminating all of the girl toothbrushes, there were about a third of the options left. From there, the ease of the decision only improved slightly. After spending (literally) 15 minutes in the aisle, reading every label and warning label, I finally buckled down and made my final decision! I just held out some of the toothbrushes and Austin reached for the blue and green one in the middle. Problem solved.

After we continued shopping, I inspected the toothbrush further and realized Austin had made a fine choice!! The brush was "soft" which would come in handy for his gums. The handle was thick enough for little people fingers so he could hold it easily. And the best feature of the toothbrush is a little suction cup at the bottom. That way, you can stick the toothbrush to the bathroom counter and not get anything yucky on the bristles. Pure genius!!!

It was daddy's turn to brush Austin's teeth so the boys went into the bathroom and brushed their teeth while I relaxed for a few moments on the couch. I got off the couch and made my way to the bathroom for a shower. As soon as I walked into the bathroom I tried to keep my angry face on but even I had to admit, it was funny!!

I called Jeremy back in the bathroom and I pointed to the mirror above our sink and asked, "Is there any reason why Austin's toothbrush is stuck to the bathroom mirror?" Jeremy answered quickly, "Because it has a suction cup." And he turned and walked out. I yelled at him "I mean, is there a GOOD reason why?" No reply!

 

 

I guess there really are some things that moms just don't undestand about their sons; like the appeal of playing in the dirt, the fascination with guns and knives, the locic in playing practical jokes on your closest friends to show them that you care, or why it is necessary to stick your toothbrush on the bathroom mirror just because it has the capacity to. I am beginning to understand why little boys love their moms, but much prefer their dads. Moms may be better than dads, but I don't know if they are as much fun. (according to little boys that is) For example, I love to cuddle Austin and hold him and just love on him and smooch him and tell him how much I love him all day long. Jeremy, on the other hand, likes to hang Austin upside, wrestle him around, thrash him on the couch, and divebomb my head while I'm reading on the couch. To me, I seem like the better parent to hang out with. But do you think I am the one Austin prefers to play with? Nope! He prefers daddy! There was one point in my life when I actually wanted Austin and Jeremy to connect and be close and have a really good relationship and be really good friends. But now that their relationship is interfering with me being the favorite parent, I am beginning to reconsider.