Both of my parents are doctors; my mom is a pediatric dentist and my dad is an oral and maxillofacial surgeon. Growing up, a lot of conversations and outings revolved around medicine and the mouth. Some of these conversations include:

“How was everybody’s day?”

My brothers and I would talk about school, our friends, or the new movies we wanted to see. Then we would get to my parents’ answers:

“I had a huge case today! Most of the teeth in my patient’s mouth were decayed and I had to remove them. What a workout, yanking out all of those teeth.”

Going to dinner with other doctors

As a kid, you learn to tune these kinds of things out if you want to enjoy your meal:

“How was that case I sent you?”

“Did you see that cancer on her tongue?”

“That infection was nasty.”

Checking the mail

Ohhh look a magazine! Ahhhhhh! Gross! What’s wrong with their face?!

Having your friends ask you medical questions

“What does it mean if my gums hurt? Is this a cavity? Do I have strep throat? Do I need to go to the hospital?”

I don’t know, maybe you should ask a doctor, not their kid.

Not being afraid of the doctor

I never understood why all of my friends hated the doctor so much. For me, the smell of rubbing alcohol and getting my teeth cleaned were kind of soothing. I spent so many summers at their offices that they were almost like second homes.

Having a job every summer

Number one perk of your parent owning their practice, they can hire you!

Even though our conversations can get a little gruesome, having doctors as parents is actually awesome. They really know how to take care of you when you’re sick and are also great at helping you with your math and science homework. I wouldn’t trade my parents for the world.