I just posted this in the gripe column called "how was your week" at the writing community I frequent here on the web, and thought I'd post it here too, since its about the kids:

Yesterday I took my children to the dentist. I live in a remote river valley in the far-northern part of California. The nearest dentist is a two-hour drive by the scary-one-lane-on-a-cliff backroad. By the main scary-two-lanes-on-a-cliff its three hours.

Anyhow, the two kids and I all saw the dentist. They each have one small cavity and lucky me - I need another root canal. I honestly wish they'd just pull the tooth instead.

While there the dentist showed me my son's x-ray. It was startling. There's a big tooth up above his front teeth, sort of off to the side a little, needing to come down. But there's no place for it to come down into. He's got all the teeth he really needs.

Flashback! I remembered when I was his age I had braces and at one point an oral surgery to remove a similar tooth. I had to wear a cast in my upper mouth for a few months after that, as I recall it.

So my son apparently inherited this wretched thing from me! It absolutely has to be taken care of - and soon.

My dentist, who is also an orthodontist, says he cannot do this for us. Its a money problem mostly - we are having to get this done on the state medical program. He says I must drive all the way to Sacramento to have my child seen by a specialist... either that or come up with four thousand dollars for each kid. I don't have it.

He suggests that what happened with my tooth shouldn't happen to my son - that the front teeth should be pulled and the extra tooth brought down. You know my son is so thrilled to know his gorgeous smile will be messed with for the next couple of years. My daughter, on the other hand, wants braces desperately. I hope the program will accept her too though her problem is not as severe.

So... this is what I'm looking at for 2004. Multiple drives down the great valley to the metropolis of Sacramento. Not fun. Lots of driving hours. Sleeping in the car because I can't afford hotels all the time. That kind of thing.

Plus worst of all... being away from my computer for writing - though I'm sure I'll take some good books and notebooks to write in. What would be more natural.

The kids will probably like the trips to the city if I include plenty of cultural activities (known as 'field trips' to us homeschool families).

Thanks for reading if you got this far with my current distressing concern.

  ¶ 10:39 PM