What's that thing in the back of your mouth?

One day, M.J. inquisitively asked me "What's that thing in the back of your mouth?" So I told him it was called a uvula.

Next he wanted to see pictures, so I did what any parent would do.  I goggled "uvula" and showed him a picture.  He asked a few questions and I thought that was it for the uvula.

Little did I know, it was the beginning of his obsession with the uvula.

A few days later, we were eating dinner and M.J. looked at me very seriously and said "Mommy, can I see your uvula? Can I touch it?  Can I pull it?"

Can you pull it?  Stay the hell away from my mouth kid.  He did attempt to jam his hand in my mouth a few times, but he never got to my uvula.

The next night at dinner, MJ said to Lucas "Lucas, open your mouth real big just like this - so I can see your uvula!" Lucas didn't comply, he just stuck his tongue out at him and threw his dinner at him like usual.  Normal dinner routine.

The boys both recently had their first dentist appointments.  M.J.'s was delayed because, well, he's not the best patient.  I tried getting him excited about going to the dentist.  The only thing he cared about knowing was if the dentist was going to see his uvula.  So to try to get him more excited, I told him he  could ask the dentist all about his uvula!  Well that didn't work.  He freaked out at the dentist's office.  Full on crying, flailing, writhing - he broke out into hives.

The hygienist, the poor girl, tried so many things, even threats that the dentist was going to have to come in.  At one point he finally calmed down to complete his cleaning. At the end you know how the kids get a prize?  I told her they should have a prize for the parents - of nippers. It was awful.

I hope he never has a cavity, I said he'd need nitrous, the hygienist said he would need to be hospitalized.