Mom's Diary #1: How I Turned Toothbrushing Battles Intolaughter-Filled Moments

Playful education

Playful education doesn't mean that you are constantly carefree or shies away from responsibility. It's a multi-faceted approach that helps you connect with your children, understand them better, and turn everyday tasks into enjoyable or at least manageable experiences. Here we can see how the principle was applied to the toothbrushing dilemma in our home.

A new start

In our household, the routine of going to bed used to be my partner's job. But brushing his teeth became a major source of stress for him and the children. It was often skipped over or “forgotten” to avoid the associated difficulties. We decided to make a change: I completely took responsibility for brushing my teeth to get rid of the negative associations associated with my partner.

Do you know how a change of scenery can reduce stress? Sometimes it's enough to change the person who performs a task.

Playful child-rearing while brushing teeth — it's fun!

After taking on responsibility, I spiced up my teeth brushing with playful energy.

And this is how it went:

• I've made it a fun game:
  • “Whoever is in the bathroom first can tickle the last one!”
  • “Whoever finishes brushing their teeth first can choose the movie for tonight!”
  • And if bad breath was still present after 15 minutes, there was a small reward: tickle from the tickle monster for 10 minutes! These little competitions created excitement without any serious rewards or penalties (don't worry, I've never tickled anyone for 10 minutes).

• And here's another great idea for anyone who likes to be silly:
  • Blow soap bubbles out of toothpaste foam.
  • Splash water and make funny faces — that simply puts you in a good mood!
  • Compete to see who can push the water out the furthest or make the strangest faces in the mirror.

These playful moments transformed the task into a shared experience full of laughter.

Find the balance

You might be asking yourself: Won't that last forever? Surprisingly not. These small changes only take a few minutes and significantly reduce the drama and resistance. We don't do this every evening - about 2-3 times a week is enough to maintain momentum. Whenever we notice that they are withdrawing, we increase the joy of playing to get them interested again.

Being playful doesn't mean shirking responsibility or overexerting yourself. It's about infusing humor and lightheartedness into everyday moments to make them more pleasant for everyone involved.

One last point

Brushing teeth is a thing of the past in our home. Through playful education, we have transformed a dreaded task into a time of laughter and connection. If you're struggling with similar challenges, I'd like to encourage you to add a touch of playfulness to your routine. You might be surprised by the results!

Yours,

luna
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Luna Lisowski

Hi, I'm Luna — a certified parent coach, a wife, loving BonusMom, partner, girlfriend and a loving soul.

Over the past 15 years, I've worked with families and children in many different ways. My career in finance was good for my wallet, but not for my heart.

After searching for months, I've found a job that allows me to help other people and have a roof over my head at the same time. Parent coaching has fulfilled me so much, and I've seen how it changes people's lives and their family dynamics and allows their inner peace to grow. I've seen the power of parents having someone they can reach out to who provides them with a safe space and a supportive community.

Through extensive education in the USA and significant experiences with individual clients, I have made it my mission to create safe, supportive communities where parents can thrive. My goal is to empower parents to feel safe, connected, and understood. For this reason, I offer workshops on various educational topics, support groups and individual coaching.

I can't wait to get in touch with you and help you on your journey!

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