Remember when your kids were babies — you thought how funny they would look with teeth?! But lately, it’s been getting hard to remember what my boys looked like without them. Until last night, when my 5-year-old lost his two bottom, front teeth. Now, I can’t help but look at him and remember that silly, toothless grin. I wondered then, what he was thinking? What would his voice sound like? Would he always be that adorable?
I couldn’t imagine what he would look like when he was older, and I’m the same way today. Right now, at 5’3”, I feel like a tall person … well, I am taller than two out of the four people in this house. But then I look at mothers with teenage boys and I try to make myself think, hmmm … that will be me one day. I may no longer feel so tall.
I wanted my little boy to have no fears about losing his first tooth, so I bought him a Tooth fairy shark pillow to get him excited about it. However, losing his first two teeth (by me holding him, and his Grannie whipping the danglers out), proved to be pretty traumatic for him. He screamed and screamed forever after the deed was done. He thought the world, as he knew it, had ended.
In fact, it was only when we reminded him that he would be getting money - which in his world = toys — that his mood improved. Suddenly, the tears were gone and the evening became all about what he would buy with his earnings.
You may wonder what the going rate is for teeth these days? In our house, the kids have set the value at $5 a tooth. So if any of you were worried how the Toothfairy was surviving in this economy, put your fears to rest. She is alive and well - apparently very well … she has made a serious investment in stock worth a small fortune.
First thing this morning, we took my son down to his favorite store – Wal-Mart -- to make his first monetary transaction on his own. He wasn’t worried about saving his money and investing in toys in the future, he wanted the reward now — instant gratification for all the hard work he endured.
As he went down the aisles and very carefully made his selection, he melted my heart when he decided he would buy one toy for himself, and one for his little brother. He didn’t want him to feel left out.
