Today we went to the dentist to get her first tooth filling. She was decisively brave. I remember deciding to be brave as a kid. The saying that courage is not the absence of fear, but the overcoming of it, was true ever since.
She filled my heart, seeing her sit still out of sheer will. My dad used to give me courage as a kid (he took me to the doctor most often). To this day I remember his confident smiling eyes. I remember my usually stern, slightly grumpy look. But I sure took his steady gaze all in, and felt stronger through it.
Upon returning home Bunica asks Jaclyn “how was your visit at the dentist?”
“Oh, fine” she answered nonchalantly. “The Doctor cleaned one of my teeth, and put two cheese-puffs-like cotton rolls, which the doctor said it’s not for eating. Then filled my tooth with paste. I cried a little at the end. But it was ok.” Jackie proceeded to describe to Bunica everything the Doctor said to her, walking her through each procedure, putting her at ease.
—
“I want someone to stay with me for a little while…”
“Pray with me.”
“Sing me a song …softly.”
“Caress my arms.”
“I love you MY mommy!”
The bedtime routine gets more and more complex: Tickles and joyous laughter with Daddy, Whispers of love with Mommy. Two days in a row of responsiveness and richly felt connectedness.