Another rite of passage

Ryan went to the orthodontist today with hopes of removing the space maintainer he's worn for the past four years while waiting for his permanent molars to come in. He did get it removed, but he's only going to have a brief reprieve from having hardware in his mouth. When we come back from our trip to Arizona he's going in for braces. It's hard to believe he's old enough for braces already, but apparently he is. I never had orthodontic work done. Nor did anyone in my family, so this is all new to me. I called a friend who assured me that this is how things are supposed to progress for children with crooked teeth. Where has my little baby gone?