The older my kids get, the crazier the stories get that I tell them…Santa Claus, The Easter Bunny, our beloved Elf on the shelf, and now The Tooth Fairy. I wasn't quite prepared for this one.
The last week in September, Jake got in the car after school and started to cry. I immediately thought he had to change his color at school or something of that nature. Instead, he opened his mouth and I saw a big gaping hole where one of his bottom teeth used to be. I immediately screamed with joy that he had lost a tooth--that made him really cry. We live just blocks from the school so we got home and I tried to calm him down.
Apparently, it had come out while he was waiting in the car line after school, he panicked, threw the tooth on the ground, and tried not to cry. Bless his heart. I tried to explain how exciting this was…what a momentous occasion…that the tooth fairy would visit that night. That was the wrong thing to say. He cried even harder and said he did NOT want any fairy coming in his room in the middle of the night. He didn't care if she was bringing money.
He was the first in his class at school to lose a tooth and our oldest child so he didn't know this was coming. I had no idea he had a loose tooth. I quickly tried to patch together my story and comfort him. I reminded him his big cousin Hendrix had lost several teeth as had our friend Caden when we were at the pool with him this summer. This began to help. I explained that it meant he was a big kid now…that it really was a big deal.
The tears stopped and a smile started.
He then began to ask about the tooth fairy. I have no recollection of anything my mom ever said about the tooth fairy. I remember at six, finding my teeth in my mom's drawer and realizing it was all a sham. That's all I can recall. So, I used starting spinning a story. I explained she was a tiny little sparkly fairy who visited children in the night and left money under their pillows. He still wasn't having that so my mom had a great idea. Why not ask her to leave the money on the porch? So Jake had me write her a letter which we taped to the front door asking her to leave the money outside.
After Jake went to bed, I got on pinterest and looked at the ideas I had been collecting about the tooth fairy. I wrote a tiny letter from her and spray painted a dollar bill with glitter paint and left those plus some quarters in a container on the porch. The next morning Jake hurried outside and found his treasure. He was confused though…he wanted to know if the tooth fairy was so little, how could she carry quarters since they're so heavy? Good question. Answer: her magic backpack, of course.
He now is so very proud of the gaping whole and starts many sentences with "Since I'm 5 and have lost a tooth, I'm big enough to…."
Crisis adverted. Also, he says she is never welcome in his room so she can always leave money on the porch. Grace thinks this is a grand idea as well. I happen to like it as well :)
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| His initial reaction |
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| Our letter to the tooth fairy |
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| Two hours later after he realized how cool he now is! |
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| The mini-letter from the tooth fairy |
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| His treasure |
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| The next morning |
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