Why enforced toothbrushing makes my

SOMETIMES it’s easiest to call bad behaviour a phase rather than worry your child is a delinquent.

On that basis, the twins are going through a belligerent phase, which is providing a variety of parenting challenges. Emma displayed this, when I attempted to brush her teeth, and she disappeared behind the living room sofa.

This isn’t a new behaviour, they have long enjoyed sprinting away from me whenever I approach. The usual routine is that I catch them before giving them the brush, which they suck all the toothpaste off and then hand back to me so I can complete the task they won’t do.

On this occasion, I caught Emma, handed her the brush, and she threw it in my face and ran off.

Her stance was clear, but never one to quit, I chased her, caught her and we repeated the earlier process.

I attempted to retain authority by demanding she pick the brush from the floor, but she shouted no and demanded ‘mummy’.

Neither of us were prepared to give up ground. I was locked into a stand-off with my four-year-old daughter, who seemed to hold the upper hand. From my perspective, the only option I had was to brush her teeth while physically restraining her.

However, this heavy-handed approach was off the cards, having once had to pin her down to carry out a Covid test when she justifiably didn’t want a cotton bud up her nose.

I felt terrible afterwards and spent the day apologising and attempting to explain a global pandemic as a justification for my actions.

Eventually, Victoria appeared after