Tale of the Tooth

On Monday of this week, my seven year old came home from school as excited as could be. He looked up at me with this huge grin and it took me a second before I noticed the little gap in his teeth! Most of his friends had already lost many teeth and had the tooth fairy come and he was so excited that he had finally lost his first tooth. It had been loose for a while and from what he said when he was at school that day it had been bothering him while he was in the library so the Principal came over to look at it and basically just flicked it right out with his thumb. Then we had a little talk because E thought he should be getting a dollar, so Mommy had to tell him that the tooth fairy has lots of little boys and girls to visit so she can only leave them maybe a nickel or a dime and maybe if they're really good.. a quarter. (I know, kids get five dollar bills now but I don't think he needs more than maybe a quarter and then what would I do when the twins are losing teeth all over the place?)

Well, the story should end there with the nice little tooth fairy coming that night and whisking away that little tooth under his pillow and leaving some coinage in her wake. Well, that was not to be, because I am so bad at this stuff! Both daddy and I completely forgot and so when he woke up the next morning all sad I came up with a big story about how the tooth fairy gets busy sometimes but that she was sure to come that night.

So okay, parents have their oops moments sometimes too but you will not believe....I forgot again! Yes, I get the worst tooth fairy in the world award. The next morning I went in to sing him awake and he opens his eyes, reaches his hand under that little pillow, and pulls out an envelope. I think both of our faces fell at the same time! I wish I'd had something to sneak under while he was in the bathroom but of course I only had a couple of pennies on hand. So I just explained to him that My Oh My the tooth fairy must be so busy and I better just give her a call to remind her that my sweet little boy had lost his tooth. He looked up at me with those big blue eyes and said: "You know the tooth fairy's phone number?" I said: "I do," so he said, "what is it?" Well, little boys can't know that, so I told him that only Mommies are privy to that info. He actually was content with that answer and got ready for school happy as a lark.

Well yesterday afternoon the door slammed and the first words I heard were: "Mommy, did you call the tooth fairy yet?" "Of course I did, and do you want to know what she said? She said that she tried to come last night but you were still awake!" (pause for effect) His eyes got all big and so then I informed him that she wanted to come back but she just ran out of time, so you better be sure you go to bed really early so she can come. And he did! And his tooth fairy scrounged up two quarters by digging around in baskets and jewelry boxes and slick as a whistle left that little surprise under his pillow. (Being a mommy is so fun sometimes!)

I made sure to tell him that the tooth fairy probably felt kind of bad that she took a little longer so she brought him TWO quarters! And now E is so excited because he has two quarters to buy a sucker at school on Friday. And Mom and Daddy are hoping that his teeth start falling out faster because the tooth fairy is cheaper than getting cavities filled. ;) Life is grand!