Lena doesn't want to brush her teeth, but her kind Dad helps by breaking it into small, friendly steps, turning a chore into a fun routine they can share.
After a yummy dinner and a sweet apple slice for dessert, Lena's dad said, 'Time to brush our teeth!' Lena made a face. 'Do I have to?' she asked, thinking of all the other fun things she could do. Brushing seemed so boring and took forever. She shuffled her feet slowly toward the bathroom.
In the bright bathroom, Dad smiled. 'It's not one big job,' he said kindly. 'It's lots of tiny, easy steps! Ready for step one?' Lena nodded, curious. 'Step one: Wet the brush!' Dad turned on the tap. Lena held her toothbrush under the cool, splashing water until its bristles were all shiny and damp.
'Step two,' Dad whispered like it was a secret. 'A tiny, green-pea-sized friend!' He squeezed a perfect little dot of minty toothpaste onto Lena's brush. 'This is Mr. Bubbles,' he said. 'His job is to chase away the sugar bugs from your snack.' In her mind, Lena saw a cheerful, wobbly blob smile at her.
'Step three is for the top teeth!' Dad said. 'Can Mr. Bubbles scrub the rooftop?' Lena giggled and began brushing in little circles on her top teeth. 'Round and round, up on the hill,' she sang softly to herself. She made sure to brush the front teeth and the ones way in the back, too.
'Step four is for the bottom teeth!' Dad cheered. 'Time to clean the garden path!' Lena brushed her bottom teeth, going back and forth and around. 'Tickly, tickly,' she said, feeling the bristles. Dad brushed his own teeth beside her, making silly faces in the mirror, which made Lena laugh a minty laugh.
'Step five: Spit it all out!' Dad said. Lena leaned over the sink and spat out the frothy toothpaste. 'Bye bye, sugar bugs!' she said. The white foam swirled down the drain. She felt very proud and grown-up. Dad handed her a cup of water. 'Great job! Almost done.'
'Step six: A quick rinse!' Lena took a big sip of water, swished it all around her mouth like a whirlpool, and spat again. Her mouth felt fresh and clean. Dad rinsed his brush, too. 'Hooray! The sugar bugs are all gone,' he said. 'They sailed away on the rinse-water river.'
Dad wiped Lena's chin with a soft towel. 'And for the very last step...' he said, his voice full of excitement. Lena looked up at him, her eyes wide. What could the last step be? She had done all the brushing parts. She waited, a happy, clean feeling in her mouth.
'Step seven,' Dad announced with a flourish. 'Show off your super-clean, shiny smile!' Lena grinned the biggest, brightest grin she could. Her teeth sparkled. Dad grinned back. 'Perfect!' he said, giving her a hug. 'We did it together, one little step at a time.' Brushing teeth didn't seem so hard anymore.