A-

My oldest son’s dental appointment last month didn’t go so well. Although no cavity was found, his brushing habits / techniques needed a lot of work. The dental hygienist found a lot of tar tar buildup and gave him an "F". That made him very upset. This was the first time he had received any letter grade that wasn’t an A. A perfectionist that he is, even a B isn’t acceptable.

My wife and I don’t really push him to getting straight A’s at school. We do, however, explain to him and to our youngest, that the effort he puts into doing something is what matters. Straight A’s is awesome, but, should he come home with a B, for as long as he has tried his best, we can accept that. Fortunately he has been able to pace himself and this school year he has earned straight A’s again.

Yesterday was the follow-up at the dentist’s office to see if his brushing had improved. My son was worried that he would get another F. I didn’t want to give him extra pressure so I walked a few steps away. After a few minutes of examination, the dental hygienist gave him a smile and told him he did a very good job. "What grade do I get?" my son asked. "Well, you did a very good job, I’ll give you a B+ this time." the hygienist replied.

My son thought for a moment and asked, "Do you think I can get an A-?". I don’t like getting a B, it’s bad to get a B. I almost laughed out loud when I heard the "negotiation". The hygienist was nice enough and said "You know what? I think you did well enough to earn an A-, keep up the great work and see if you can get an A next time." My son’s eyes glistened with joy and said "I’m going to try to get an A+!" I smiled at the the hygienist and told her "thank you!".

On our way home, my son was much happier than last time. I certainly need to make sure he keeps up with his brushing, and that he does it correctly.

original post date: June 4, 2009