Could have been waiting a while

James has been to the orthodontist this afternoon. He went last year and the ortho said that he wanted to wait until the two remaining baby teeth came out.

No signs of movement at all.

He did an x-ray today, just in case there weren't any adult teeth waiting to come through. Lo and behold, 5 is missing both sides on the bottom set. If you look closely, you can see the baby tooth on the surface and no root or waiting tooth underneath.

You can also see his wisdom teeth, developing well, apart from one which appears to be growing outwards rather than upwards.

So, what seems to be a modern rite of passage is soon to occur. He has had the teeth impressions made. 4 teeth are being scheduled for removal. Then braces…

He seems unfazed.

In other news…

When I say I am going to make a phone call home, it is not a threat, it is a clear statement of intent. One young man has learned this lesson today. I felt better for having the conversation with his mum who said (and I quote) "I will rip his head off and shove it so far up his backside he won't be able to see a damn thing".

And by the way…

When teachers strike, they should not be fined. They choose to strike, they lose a day's pay and the relevant pro rata contribution to pension and NI. Therefore, the multiple statements I have seen today of "Teachers should be fined for going on strike because they fine us if our kids are off" is fundamentally incorrect.

TEACHERS DO NOT FINE PARENTS FOR TAKING THEIR CHILDREN OUT OF SCHOOL ON TERM TIME HOLIDAYS.

That, my friends is one of the GOVERNMENT'S rules, that I can assure you, does not sit comfortably with many of the people who educate our young people.

Rant over