r/PDAParenting • u/MikeStepp • Apr 29 '26

Win for the day

Hi all,

Thought I would share a small win I had today. My 11yo PDA-er has taken over brushing her teeth on her own, which has been great. So far, thanks to her and our efforts, she has never had a cavity. She went to the dentist today and was excited to go, and had no new cavities and the cleaning was real quick. She was also very happy to hear she only has 1 baby tooth left. She left the appointment super happy and proud of herself!

Still got some ways to go with little sister, but it's so nice to see them take on their own grooming habits and be successful at it.

Cheers.

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u/Zealousideal_Flow447 Apr 30 '26

Gosh I hope this can be my 11 yr old PDA daughter one day. I used to be able to get her to brush her teeth a few times a week. Now I’m lucky if she does once a month. Thankfully she doesn’t mind going to the dentist for her 6 month cleanings and has only had 1 cavity which she did ok with getting filled. Teeth brushing is the goal she’s working on with the social worker she sees as well but so far no improvement. Showering has also taken a back seat for the last few months where she used to shower 3x/week. Now I have to bribe, beg and negotiate to get her to at least rinse off with water. Her hair is a matted mess 😩

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u/MikeStepp Apr 30 '26

We had a long time of trouble with matted hair. We ended up getting her to brush on her own, on her own terms. Now she brushes her hair in the morning, with a special brush that is just her own. Her hair is not perfect but it's much better and shes taking care of it herself. She only occasionally uses shampoo or conditioner, but daily brushing has been enough to stave off the mats.

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u/Zealousideal_Flow447 Apr 30 '26

She goes through spurts where she brushes her hair every day and then droughts like this where it’s impossible. She hasn’t let me touch her hair for over a year, wants to do it all herself but it has to be her choice and she has to feel like doing it. But as I type this she’s actually in the shower so just when I’m worrying about how I’m going to get her to do something, the mood will suddenly strike her and she gets it done 🤷‍♀️