Author: Henry L.

Brushing teeth and Christmas cards in my house have A LOT in common. My children are the age of “real teeth” and they must brush them religiously! Every parent loathes the idea of having a child less than perfect in a fashion that was avoidable. That whole parent-child psychology thing is a big topic and not one to get into right now. So you ask what’s the connection? The answer is simple – I constantly remind my kids to brush their teeth.

I have four children and they all react differently. Lindsey is great. She has generally already brushed her teeth, and so when I ask, her response “I did!” comes with a big smile. Daisy most often says “Oh yeah! I forgot,” and she rushes off to brush her teeth (despite the fact that I probably reminded her 20 minutes before…she just gets distracted, I guess). Katie, the oldest, rolls her eyes, huffs and says “Daaaddddddddyyy, pluuuuuuease” and pouts, and won’t make a move towards the bathroom and the toothbrushes. Jackie says “Oh yeah!  I will right after this…” and then she seems to always forget until the next reminder when she promises again “Right after this…”

The thing is, helping customers to remember to order their Christmas cards and corporate holiday cards in time often feels like trying to get my kids to brush their teeth. Everyone knows it needs to be done. Some just put it off more than others or mean to order and then forget. In the end I’m hopeful my kids teeth are beautiful – a testament to their responsible upbringing. Of course, I also worry that too much responsible reminding will impact our relationship if they perceive me to be pestering or annoying.