Validation of Parenting Skills

When we took Dex to the dentist a few weeks ago for his 6-month check up, we got the good news that his teeth were doing great - no cavities!  We also got a fantastic report from the dental assistant about his behavior during the check up - he was very cooperative and polite. "Great job with his brushing and flossing - keep it up!" she said to us. Initially I felt very pleased with myself and was all puffed up with pride about our excellent tooth-brushing abilities. Here was some kind of objective "measure" of our parenting skills! But some of this has to do with Dexy's teeth and not our brushing and flossing habits, right? Some kids have the kinds of teeth or environmental factors that make them susceptible to cavities (in fact, Dex has "deep ridges" in his "downstairs" teeth so we need to be very intentional about getting those clean). The more I thought about it, the more proud I felt about Dexter's good behavior during the check up than his no cavities. That was the real validation of our parenting skills. Dexy was a little anxious and hesitant about going to the dentist but we were able to calm those fears and he was able to handle himself wonderfully.