Fairy Time

Megan has been workin' on a loose tooth for weeks now. I don't know if it's been harder on her or us. Yesterday it got to the point where it would lay flat against her lip like a draw bridge whenever she'd open her mouth. Lovely. It was high time to get that sucker out, but she wouldn't let any of us near it, so she went to sleep last night with it hanging by a thread. I thought she'd swallow it for sure, but she woke up this morning with it still hanging on. I guess that was a good thing.

Finally this afternoon it came out. Hallelujah!

Now most kids would be very excited when a tooth comes out. Not just because the irritation is gone, but because the Tooth Fairy would be coming for a visit that night. Well, not so much in our house.

It was a year ago or more that I slipped about the Tooth Fairy not being real. I know. I KNOW! But hear me out.

Have you ever had your kids ask you non-stop questions for like an hour? Well, it was one of those evenings, and I was paying bills and trying to concentrate, and the girls just kept peppering me with questions about every stinkin' thing under the sun. And I'll admit that I was not exactly engaged in the conversation. So when one of them asked if the Tooth Fairy was real, I kinda' laughed a bit and said, "No." Oh boy. As soon as it was out of my mouth, I was immediately engaged in the dialogue. What had I just done?!

I looked up to see my girls staring at me with wide eyes. Dang it. Amanda made some comment like she already suspected it. Megan didn't say much. On one hand I wished I could take it back. On the other hand, it was a relief to get it out in the open.

Okay, so now we're back to present day. Megan puts her tooth in an envelope for the fake Tooth Fairy, and as I'm tucking her into bed, the conversation went like this ...

Megan: Okay, Mom, here's my tooth.

Me: Yep, there it is.

Megan: I'm going to put it under my pillow now.

Me: Why don't you just set it up here (motioning to her headboard.)

Megan: Why, Mom? Is it too hard for you to get it from under my pillow? Hmmm?

Me: (Laughing) Yes, actually.

Megan: Well too bad. I'm putting it under my pillow.

Me: Fine.

During her bedtime prayer, she prayed that she'd get "at least two dollars for her tooth, but whatever amount would be fine."

After saying "Amen." She asked, "Mom, when can we go look at all my other teeth you've been keeping?"

She's never gonna' let me live this one down, I can tell.