...Ok, maybe not evil laughing, but what else do you do when you realize that you're paying someone to torture your oldest child. For her own good.

I'm such an awful parent to think that. But DH is too - he's the one that pointed out we're going to pay someone to torture her. I just went along for the ride.

Yup, that's right. A is getting braces. Sort of. We're still working out the details (and will be pricing other orthodontists, naturally), but what it's sounding like is that she'll have braces on the front 4 top teeth, headgear to pull back her overbite and a palate expander that I will have a key to and get to adjust every few days.

DH's eyes lit up when he found out we get to help with the torture, with the handy dandy at home kit! Lords, we really *do* sound like awful parents, don't we? I called DH on the way to pick her up from school to take her to the evaluation, and started the call with something that I've not said in 16 years: "I hate going to the orthodontist!" It was pure torture for me, and I hope it's not for A - I've always tried to put a good, albeit realistic, spin on my experiences with it, and she's not afraid. She thinks it's going to feel wierd. She has friends with braces too, and they're not really complaining except for the fact that they can't eat popcorn or have hard candies or gum.

The upside is this - it's not *me* going through this (selfish, I know, but my bottom teeth are shifting again, and I probably *should* go through a retainer again) and her beautiful skin won't be marred by some nasty stuff while she enters puberty. This orthodontist agreed that my original orthdontist was a quack because I probably went through extractions that were ultimately unncessary. For those who don't know, I don't have my 12 year molars - yes, I'm short a full set of molars because of the quack. And there was room on my jaw for them. So I feel vindicated, but that's not the point - my oldest child is looking at about 6 years of treatment now. 18 months with the palate expander, and headgear to pull back her upper jaw. Then a retainer after the expander. Then a full set of braces. Then there's B whose teeth are coming in reasonably straight with no large overbite, thank goodness.

When I figured out that I had two daughters, I knew that there would be two weddings to pay for eventually. And the college funds go without saying. But why is it that it's the whole braces thing that makes me complain? I guess it's because it's one of those twist of fate sorts of things. Braces would be a coin toss - you either need them, or you don't. And A's coin landed on the wrong side for her.

I knew this was coming. I've known for years, since the very first tooth started coming in spaced way away from the others. I guess it's just the reality of it hitting me, and the pure irony that I'm going to pay to torture my child...

...for her own good.