I've already gone through the whole adolescent lazy hygiene phase, but with my youngest (12), it seems to be something different ... and far more frustrating. While he has dysgraphia, which affects fine motor skills, I don't think this falls under that umbrella. For any of you with any insight or that have solutions that have worked for you, I'd love to hear from you.
This is how our daily routine usually goes:
Me: Let me check your teeth.
Son: (smiles wide, revealing teeth caked with yellow gunk)
Me: They aren't brushed well enough yet. Please brush them again with your electric toothbrush, making sure to let the bristles stay on the fronts, insides, and tops of each tooth for a few seconds each.
Son: But I already brushed all of them. I did brush the fronts.
Me: Let's look in the mirror. (We go to the mirror, where he smiles widely again, inspecting his teeth.)
Son: I don't see anything on them. They look fine.
Me: Then get your brush. I need to brush them for you.
This is followed by me brushing his teeth while I chase his head as he moves and writhes, backing away from the brush.
I can't let this slide; it's important not only for his oral hygiene but also for his overall health and how others react to him at school.
He doesn't seem to have sensory issues with anything else (my daughter definitely did), so I don't think it's that. But I really don't know.
Any advice to help solve this is greatly appreciated.
