"The Brown"

A while ago we started using a little scare tactic on Owen in an attempt to get him to understand why it's important to brush your teeth. We informed him that if he didn't brush, his teeth would turn brown. This seemed to strike a nerve in Owen for whatever reason. Eventually we transitioned to talking about the little germs on his teeth that he was cleaning off when he brushed, which Owen began referring to as "the brown". It started as a fun little game for him to ask prior to brushing, "What's the brown saying?" and we'd reply something along the lines of "Party time in Owen's mouth!" (in a very obnoxious and exaggerated voice). As he brused he'd ask, "What's the brown saying now?" and we'd reply something like, "Oh noooo..run away..aaaahhhh," which got a lot of giggles.

At some point this has turned into a borderline unhealthy obsession with Owen. Now he asks about "the brown" throughout the day, and gets pretty worried if we tell him that "the brown" is getting a little bad. It's good in a way because he's actually requested to brush his teeth a few times (randomly during the day). In other ways, it's a bit concerning because he seems to be genuinely worried/nervous about it much more often than I'd like him to be. You never know how these little fun games can backfire!