Nothin' but the Tooth

We do our best to tell our children the truth; to answer the questions they so constantly pose and to teach them to be able to search for and ultimately distinguish truth. But when it comes to Santa Claus, St. Nicholas, Rudolph, the Easter Bunny and the Tooth Fairy... Mr. Man and I have tales to tell that would make you believe. Personally, I find the Easter Bunny to be the most unbelievable mystical creature that comes in the night... and, as my husband can attest, I find the Tooth Fairy to be the most realistic.

The tooth fairy has been a frequent subject of conversation in our home as of late. Big J lost her first two teeth last January and it seems she has been wiggling the rest constantly since. Just over a week ago she lost her third tooth and also started a love hate relationship with the tooth fairy. When I was young I would write the tooth fairy letters and she would write back telling me what she was using my teeth for – once one especially tiny and shiny one was used as a doorknob for her castle door! I mentioned this to Big J and she became obsessed with writing a letter to the tooth fairy and was really more anxious for the letter than the 2 quarters that would also be left behind. Mr. T however started telling her tales of how “scary” the tooth fairy was. I suppose any midnight visitor is a little bit alarming, but he didn’t want her to visit at all! Big J then became convinced that the Tooth Fairy may turn her into a toad! Long story shortened, we wrote a letter, including a note from myself asking T.F. not to turn my daughter into a toad and she left her tooth pillow and note in our bedroom for extra security purposes. The tooth fairy came and left her expected tooth exchange money, a lovely note and a penny for good luck (with assurances that she knows no bad magic and would be using her tooth to decorate her rose garden surrounding her castle).

All fear vanished, Big J was once again infatuated with T.F. and thankfully had another very loose tooth! Lately she has moaned and groaned at mealtime, because everything we eat is too hard for such wiggly teeth. She has extended bedtime because of her fear of losing a tooth while sleeping, and even tried to get out of going to school today because she thought if her tooth fell out she would definitely lose it in her kindergarten classroom. (We solved the problem by putting a ziplock bag in her backpack to hold her tooth should it fall out.) Today when we picked Big J up from school I was met with a grin that looked more like a jack-o-lantern than my little girl! (but her tooth was safe and sound... and well-preserved too!)

(The mother in me has to post a "cute" picture too!)

Tonight she bravely put her tooth pillow on her dresser and wrote the following note:

Dear Tooth Fairy,

I hope you will take my tooth today. I think you will be a little bit upset because I lost another tooth and I hope you would be a little bit happy because I am sending a letter from the computer. I am going to be the tooth fairy for Halloween but I need to find a bigger costume than you. It is purple though. I want to send you a picture. Soon I will send you a picture. Tonight I am doing photographs with my Mommy.
Take care and know how much I enjoy you coming to visit me. I just like it sooo much.

Love, Jube Jube

Such an innocent sweet little face! Who could ever lie to such a child? For ours, it's nothin' but the tooth! I'm now off to do my tooth fairy duties... just keeping it real!

(Note: This post will self-destruct as soon as my daughter learns both to read and surf the net.)