The Tooth Fairy

In our house, the tooth fairy is a subject/ non-subject.

One half of me doesn't want to 'kill' all the fantasy in my kid's lives.  I still want Disneyland to be magical and for there to be some wonderment in their eyes when they see slight of hand.  But I also do not want them to think that the God we speak of as being real and magnificent and omnipresent, yet unseen.....is the same as that fat guy in the red suit at Christmas time.

We want our words to carry meaning. 

So when you ask me, in front of my kids, if the Easter Bunny is real.....you're probably gonna get a "what do YOU think?" kind of answer.

Ask my kids if Santa is real and they'll tell you that he was a man, Nicholas, who lived very long ago and he inspired others to be giving when he filled the stockings of poor children who had hung them out to dry.

But they'll tell you he's dead now.....they'll say it almost comically.

Also, they also know that at Easter and Christmas they receive treats in the form of baskets and overflowing stockings.

So they will ask me if I'm the one filling the stockings at home and I'll say yes....why would I give the credit to a non-living being at this point?  BUT if they want to know about the stockings filled at Marmar's house...that is completely up to HER to explain.   She will have to answer to them for causing any mistrust in their childhood ;)  I don't mess with the Marmar! (Even I like having a filled stocking still!)

So.....what about the Tooth Fairy? 

Ian, being our firstborn, helped establish the ground rules.  It's a bit of a 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' policy.  I say, "If you LIKE receiving money for your teeth, then DON'T ASK!"

But really, because I keep them guessing, they still wonder.  And I LOVE it.

I remember questioning when I was their age....until I found ALL my baby teeh in my mom's jewlry box! Yuck!  Talk about a shocker!

So I told Ian that if there was a Tooth Fairy I'd make her a deal to leave the tooth behind so that we could save it, if we wanted to.  She could leave the money AND the tooth.  He was ALL GOOD with THAT deal!

Well, wouldn't you know that Ian lost his first tooth on a night where I had NO change in my wallet.  Nothing, save a $5 bill.   So we cringed and left it in his 'tooth' pillow....the one that Marmar made of course!

And then next day I told Ian that he probably only got that much because it was his VERY first tooth and not to expect that much with the next ones ;)

Well, Merrick being a whole 18 months younger just remembers that Ian received a LOT of money from that tooth!

 So he likes to tell the story, that Ian received $20 for tooth...and all that Merrick has ever received is $2 or $3 per tooth.  Poor, porr Merrick, he can be SO persuasive!

Well, he's been working on a doozy for over a month now.  And it was all I could to to get my hands around that crooked little piece of enamel and tug real hard! 

But he wouldn't let us near it until last night when he let me tie a piece of dental floss around it, and as I pulled tight on the knot, that tooth POPPED right out!

Well, being under Marmar and Papi's roof can be a bit tricky.  I've had to let go of some things....maybe even begrudgingly.....but last night was hilarious!

We all rejoiced as Merrick's tooth finally came out.  Then the next thing I know, Marmar is shoving a $20 bill into my hands to put under his pillow.  "Um, Nooooo,"  I kept saying...that is NOT a precedent I want to start.  But she insisted that we had done this for Ian and Merrick wouldn't stop talking about getting $20 for one tooth.  So she HAD to do this, just this once she said!

Knowing I could not win in this situation.....I went ahead with the 'exchange'

Wouldn't you know that I snuck that huge bill under his pillow when I gave him a goodnight kiss (felt super sly about that one!)  and when he woke up in the morning he asked Marmar if it was a $50 bill!

Um, yeah, so much for THAT theory Marmar....the kid doesn't know the difference between a $20 or a $50 bill!  AND he would've been fine with our measly 3 dollar bills!

I told Marmar she can finance Talia's $20 tooth!   OR atleast make Merrick stop talking about this strange occurance.  

(thankfully Ian hasn't negotiated a 'raise' yet!)

Merrick now knows that his tooth fairy was probably new on the job ;)

The boys will tease me about being the tooth fairy and we just laugh and send them on their way!  So here's to toothless grins and $20 gaffes!