I took all three kids to the dentist last week. It was a little more traumatic than their first visits, though they all handled the brushing well and in general were good.
Their dentist is very good: gentle, considerate of their feelings, trying very hard to make visiting the dentist a positive experience. He also seems to be conservative and cautious when it comes to their teeth. 
Rebecca had a slight weak spot between her two front teeth at our last visit, and we made a note to take another X-ray this time to check on it.
In the mean time, we’ve been careful about brushing. We were really good at flossing for a while, and picked the habit back up a month ago. We got a kids’ electric toothbrush (like this, but with the Little Mermaid). We’ve tried to give her xylitol gum and mints. (Especially since we get all the mis-packaged product we can handle.)
This time, they the follow-up X-ray. The dentist looked at it and proclaimed her teeth sound. Then he turned to me and said something that stunned me:
“Mom’s making a difference.”
(I’m telling you, this guy knows how to keep patients for life!)
Where’s the most unexpected place you’ve found a moment of fulfillment?
Photo by Jennifer Woodard Maderazo