The Dream Where Your Teeth Fall Out Is About Mortality

Paul Lyon

I have raised four children. The first two, sons, when I was in my twenties and thirties. Those were the practice kids I'm afraid. The second two, my daughters in my forties and fifties. I like to think I did a better job, but I expect the important thing for all of them was that I did my best with humility and honesty. Somehow that seems to have made up for all the all too human mistakes I made along the way.

Mitch SuperKnot

Detached retina is some parental nightmare fuel.

I feel like BJJ is good for pinning

My dad broke my nose dropping me on the telephone table when I was one, which I don’t remember. And I got my retina detached in a “sword fight” with my brother at the age of 5, which I do remember. Pretty sure those things were both far more traumatic for my parents than they ever have been for me

For whatever reason I'm zeroing in on the Jiujitsu usage and wondering about that particular word choice and if there is an optimal martial art for restraining children. But then I suppose the results speak for themselves.

Tim Parsons

When my daughter was still just crawling, I dropped a dining plate on her head while I was drying it. Serious damage - zero. Although there was some screaming for a while, and frantic calls to medically qualified relatives to ask for advice. The fact that I still remember this over 30 years later probably means the memory won't fade for you either, but kids are tougher than we think and I'm sure you and Laser will be just fine 🙂

Vivienne McCallum

Know exactly how you feel. Poor you. What a shock. (If it’s any consolation, I cried when I saw that my baby had slight tan lines from his little sandals because I realised I had lapsed in the sunscreen reapplication and his milky, perfect skin was ‘damaged’)

So sorry to hear this. It’s a huge stress and guilt-load when our kiddos get hurt. It’s *my* recurring nightmare. Like when my then toddler walked into a wall and split open her forehead. Or when she had anaphylaxis at 11 mos or uncontrollable asthma attack at age 4 and I kept having to slap her feet to keep her awake on the way to the hospital. Take good care. Hope the tooth sticks.

I am sorry that you both (well, all of you) went through this. It is terrifying when your little one is in pain. It’s not great when your larger ones are in pain too. I am glad for everyone involved that it has been handled without too many long term complications.

Be reassured that, despite her short term pain & your longer-term guilt, she will be fine, and that it happens to all of us. My worst experience was losing my daughter, then aged two & a bit, in London's Natural History Museum at a busy time. It is a giant grid, so each junction has four possible choices, and I was going *spare* after only a couple of minutes' frantic searching through the crowds in ever-increasing circles, trying to second-guess her toddler randomness, and spot her tiny shoes and bright pink tights through the gaps between everyone's legs. All ended well, thankfully, as she had simply climbed up a fence to get a better look at the blue whale & other stuffed creatures, & so hid herself and her feet behind an adult. But I'll *never* forget that fast-rising panic of doom & personal guilt !

Woof, I really hope it takes back in, Alice. But, to be honest, I doubt you'll forget about the incident either way 😅 Sending positive vibes —George

It’s not my favourite time of parenting so far

Mitch SuperKnot

I shudder to think if this ever happened to my baby boy. I wouldn’t be able to sleep.