Alison is nine years old, but none of her teeth have fallen out -- I've pulled them all. I'm not sure if that's completely true, because I seem to remember her bringing one home from school in an envelope, but you get the point. She's never been very patient about anything, so we shouldn't have expected it to be any different with her teeth.
Henry, however, is different. His two front teeth were loose for months, flapping up and down, side by side, making his mouth look like a two-car garage. Whenever I asked if he wanted me to take a look at them, he'd shake his head, wiggle them a bit with his tongue, and then forget about them for a week or so. I was fairly certain that they'd come out in his sleep or be swallowed with a bite of food, necessitating an I.O.U. left for the Tooth Fairy.
On Monday, though, Henry asked me to pull them. It was comical how loose they were. The first came easily with only a few drops of blood, and the second was such a breeze that he didn't even feel it come out. It wasn't until his tongue went to wiggle it that he realized I had already plucked it out.
The funny thing about Henry is that he's a little bit afraid of the Tooth Fairy. When he lost his first tooth, he insisted on cleaning his room top to bottom before going to bed since he was convinced that the Tooth Fairy would take some of his toys if they were left lying around. The second time, he refused to put his tooth under his pillow because he thought he'd be scared if she accidentally woke him up.
With this one, he was a bit more brave. But even though he didn't say anything, I could tell he was nervous at bedtime. He hesitated when I told him to put his teeth under his pillow, suggesting instead that we balance the plastic bag on his headboard.
No, I told him, they might fall down and the Tooth Fairy wouldn't find them.
He accepted this and crawled into bed, two teeth poorer, but a little less afraid. He awoke the next morning to find two golden dollar coins, and all was forgotten.
{Photo courtesy of L.Saito}
Tell Henry he is not alone! When Liam, my oldest, lost his first tooth, my younger son Blake, then about 4, was so terrified at the idea someone was breaking into his family's house in the middle of the night, tiptoeing in the dark to sneak his family's unsecured teeth away,that we have never had a family Tooth Fairy. It was replaced with the tradition of a note taped on the front door, warning the savage tooth thief that the alarm was on, services not needed. Do you think the boys will make it to 18 before they realize the money they lost out on? No way I'm paying interest!
Posted by: Elissa | October 09, 2009 at 04:09 PM