The Tooth Fairy

I honestly can’t recall when I discovered the wonderfully mythical Tooth Fairy. It was certainly before I loss my first tooth in Kindergarten, for which I received a quarter. At that point of time, I truly believed the Tooth Fairy existed. In my mind, she resembled something akin to Tinker Bell only with long, curly hair and a wand with a star, and a twirly, tutu like skirt and she twinkled gloriously. My ardent belief was cemented after I spent the night at my friend Aleesha’s house and she told me that she had once seen the Tooth Fairy! And, of course, Aleesha was as honest as any imaginative 6-year-old could possibly be! Most certainly she had seen the Tooth Fairy.

Naturally, my steadfast believe gave way to reality. And yet the money remains real, so belief becomes rather overrated. In fact, I was visited by the Tooth Fairy as late as the age of 20 when I had one of my wisdom teeth very painfully removed (over a three-hour period). I can’t say the dollar was worth all I had been through, but the drugs given to me afterwards were brilliant. I never felt an ounce of pain. 

Emry was introduced to the idea of loosing teeth probably about a year ago as we were reading Fancy Nancy stories and one is about a tooth Nancy looses. In the book, because Nancy looses her tooth at school, she gets a plastic tooth necklace to put the tooth in. Emry informed me when she looses her teeth, she needs a tooth necklace. As yet, we had no idea about a Tooth Fairy.

Since then, she has mentioned off and on that when she gets bigger she will loose her teeth and new ones will grow in. A month ago her cousin, Jay, had the honor of loosing not only his first tooth on his 6^thbirthday, but his first TWO teeth. Of course, one slipped out unnoticed and was lost at the bottom of a ball pit, but the Tooth Fairy is gracious enough to pay even for those (although she no doubt must make extra effort to retrieve them). This has brought the subject of loosing teeth up quite often, so first I checked out a book about a Bear who looses his first tooth. This book introduced to her to concept of a Tooth Fairy, but as the little fairy left Bear a plate full of blueberries instead of money, well…the idea of money had yet to be established. She then saw a poster and little flyer at the library for a special story time celebrating National Tooth Fairy Day. Since she was so enamored with the idea, I took her to the library last night to enjoy stories, games and a craft about the Tooth Fairy.

Actually, I think I found the story time more enlightening than she did. It would appear that America and Canada have the main monopoly on the Tooth Fairy. Other countries have a little mouse named El Ratón Pérez. Others throw bottom teeth up on a roof and top teeth down on the ground or at the foot of their bed. Some countries have even stranger traditions than those. I think it’s rather interesting that loosing one’s baby teeth brings about folk traditions. 

Oddly enough, I still don’t think Emry understands that the Tooth Fairy brings money in exchange for baby teeth. She made a little bag from cardstock with cutout teeth on it at story time, which she proudly brought home and declared she would put her teeth in when they started to fall out. She also told Ethan he could use the bag when she was finished loosing her teeth and he started to loose his. She also informed me that when she does loose her teeth, the Tooth Fairy will leave her a plate of blueberries.

And I’m left trying to figure out how I’m supposed to put a plate of blueberries under her pillow…