Wisdom Teeth

A conversation with my 8 year old son while we waited for the IMAX movie to start.

Dude: Mom . . . when am I going to get braces?
Me: Not for quite a while, Buddy.
D: Why? Some kids in my class have braces already. Travis has braces already!
M: Dentist says you need to wait until all of your baby teeth fall out and your adult teeth come in. He also said he’d pull your wisdom teeth early so your teeth have more room to move when you get your braces.
D: My wisdom teeth? What are wisdom teeth?
M: Those are the big molars in the back of your mouth that grow in when you’re quite a bit older. Most people get them pulled out when they’re teenagers.
D: Why do they call them wisdom teeth?
M: Because they’re connected to your brain. They’re so far back there that the ones on top are connected to your brain. They hold your wisdom.
D: What?
M: They hold your wisdom. You know, the stuff you learn from living every day. Not the book stuff, but the stuff you learn just by doing stuff . . . that’s called wisdom. When you get those teeth pulled, you get kind of stupid for a while because they pull some of your wisdom out.
D: Nuh uh!
M: Yes HUH!
D: That’s not true! . . . is it?
M: Sure it’s true! Why do you think teenagers start making such stupid decisions around the time they get their wisdom teeth pulled out?
D: I dunno. I guess I never thought about it. . . . THAT’S NOT TRUE! . . . is it?
M: Think about it. Lots of teenagers make some really bad choices, don’t they?
D: Yes.
M: Well - that’s because they lose some of their wisdom when they get their wisdom teeth pulled out. They have to gain that wisdom back. And since you gain wisdom by living and learning every day, you have to live and learn again to gain that wisdom back . . . which means making some bad choices again until you learn.

Dude shakes his head in agreement, as if this all makes perfect sense.

D: Wow. I don’t know if I want my wisdom teeth pulled if I have to learn all this stuff over again!

I LOVE being able to mess with my kids