A mum was left shocked and surprised after a teacher at her daughter's school took it upon themselves to pull out her wobbly tooth.
The mum, from Australia, took to Twitter to share her experience after her daughter returned from nursery with one tooth less than she'd gone with.
This might not be that surprising at an age where wobbly teeth are common, but the mum based her concerns on the fact that the tooth did not fall out naturally.
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Instead, it was allegedly pulled out by a teacher at the daycare despite the young girl's requests to stop.
In the post, the mum said that she and her daughter did manage to get the tooth to the tooth fairy, and that they are still 'enjoying the magic' that comes with the experience. However, she is concerned the teacher's actions impacted her daughter's autonomy.
The mum received mixed responses from Twitter users after she shared her experience online, with some agreeing that the teacher crossed a line while others argued it was no big deal.
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One Twitter user, who claimed to have worked as a teacher, described the post as a 'massive over reaction'.
"My guess is it's your oldest child. I was a teacher and remember several occasions where students came to show me how a tooth was holding on by thread. I'd give the child tissues and encourage them to pull it out," they wrote.
Another agreed, writing: "Yes l absolutely agree. As a former teacher of Prep students for many years I’ve had exactly the same situation many, many times. Little children can get quite freaked by a tooth that’s dangling out of their mouths by a thread, particularly if it’s the first one."
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However, other Twitter users defended the mum and expressed belief that the mum was right to be surprised, especially considering the child had allegedly said they didn't want their tooth pulled out.
"My kids are both in childcare and I’m not even sure how I feel about the teeth pulling but if my kid says no I’d like the teacher to stop based on that request," one person responded.
Another argued: "The post was completely acceptable for Twitter. Mum pointed out how an entrusted adult did not respect her child’s bodily autonomy. We have an entire curriculum (from foundation to year 12) developed around this - and for good reason. That others chose to minimise the mother and child’s experience reflects on them, not her."
The mum appears to have deleted her Twitter post since first sharing her experience.
Topics: Parenting