#sol18
As my husband headed to bed tonight (he's so responsible; he headed to bed extra early so he can still get enough sleep tonight due to the time change), he asked me, "Do you want to take care of the Tooth Fairy?"I added it to my reminders. "I got it," I told him. For good luck, Greg put a dollar on the stairs so I don't forget. It's fair. We parents forget about the Tooth Fairy. It happens. One time we forgot to leave money for Emma and Greg raced upstairs that morning and hid a dollar in her blankets. "Go back up and check it out," he told her. Emma decided she must have slept too wild and mixed up the dollar in her covers. Phew!
The next time Emma lost her tooth, well, we forgot again. I came downstairs that morning to find Greg crafting a note with his left hand. The day of her tooth loss, Emma had hung a sign telling her brothers to "Keep out!" Greg capitalized on that sign and used it as an excuse. Quick thinking.
The problem, though, is that this note set a precedent. It became family legend that perhaps the Tooth Fairy would leave you a note.
I remember losing teeth as a kid and how exciting the anticipation was. My dad was a roofer, and I vividly remember the night that the Tooth Fairy left behind two quarters, one of them covered in tar. I walked into my mom's room that next morning, holding the quarters out in front of me. "Mom," I said. "The Tooth Fairy must have been flying really close to dad's jobs last night."
"What?" my mom asked.
I explained to her that since the quarters were covered in tar, the Tooth Fairy must have been near dad's work. I think that was my first inkling that maybe the Tooth Fairy wasn't quite real. My mom played along with my story, but that was the beginning of the end of the magic.
And so tonight, I'll tuck the dollar under Justin's pillow. It's such a small window when this magic exists. I want to stretch it out as long as I can. Even if I have to set my alarm to make it happen.
What charming stories. All those mythologies we encourage our kids to believe. Once our daughter lost a tooth at a sleepover. Of course, there wasn't anything under her pillow when she woke up that morning. But when she brought home the news of the lost tooth, her father left this note under her pillow the next night: "You can't expect me to follow you everywhere you go. /s/ Terry the Tooth Fairy" She loved finding out that the Tooth Fairy had a name.
ReplyDeleteThere is something about the tooth fairy that lingers. We have dropped the ball and written notes as well. A dollar or two may have been tossed under the bed upon a morning greeting. Who do we think we are, ninjas? Teeth have been left behind and re-discovered. We have probably messed up the tooth fairy magic more than we've gotten it right, and yet, she thrives as a magical being. Good luck with future toothy adventures.
ReplyDeleteSo much love in the magical stories parents tell kids... that I'm just now starting to understand.
ReplyDeleteThanks for writing this!
Setting a reminder to hug my folks next time I see them.