In the world of parenthood, there are so many roles to master. I can’t pretend to enjoy them all, but I try my best at playing them. There is one role I fail miserably at, the tooth fairy!
Being a kid should entail all possibilities of magic. In an attempt to keep up the facade of the veil of magical beings, I do have cash readily available now that two of my kids have started losing teeth. The dentist also provides nice little tooth cases for tooth storage.
When my oldest daughter, Anabel, lost her first tooth her excitement for the tooth fairy to visit was palpable. She’s a sweet, sensitive and very dramatic child. She prepared her tooth in the case and placed it in the perfect position under her pillow.
The night consisted of our normal routine of teeth brushing, reading story books and picking out clothes for school. I kissed the three kiddos and tucked them snug in bed.
I proceeded to my room in caution reminding myself of the tooth fairy duties. Mom fail #102 was being exhausted from a regular day of working mom duties. My busy days allow me to sleep like the dead. God blessed me with a husband who wakes easily else our kids when sick in middle of night would be in trouble (even if that is him kicking me awake for the effort to save them).
The morning comes in a blink of an eye with the alarm of shrill screams from the tooth’s fairies failure to arrive. She comes in our room red faced with crocodile tears completely distraught.
I grab the money that was awaiting her to fall asleep and rush to her room while asking her if she was sure. She said the case was still there. I reached quickly under pillow to extract tooth from case and brought my arm up shaking the case. I asked again if she was sure and told her the tooth fairy didn’t need the case. She opened the case so excited it was empty.
She started hunting for the money. I had hid the money when I entered her room under a different pillow so it could have been easily missed with the excuse she probably accidentally moved it rolling around in her sleep.
Hold your judgement for it gets worst. Not only did I fail at the tooth fairy on her very first visit to our house, I also completely forgot the second! My husband calls me since I hadn’t made it home yet from the morning run to make me aware of my mistake. He gives Anabel a spiel on how sometimes the tooth fairy doesn’t come the same night because she’s so busy. When I got home she was in my bed upset so I was able to swap tooth and money which was there when she checked again. Now I’ve also set myself up for having to put that stupid case back every tooth!
I’d like to say I’ve gotten better. Still hold your judgement! My son, Henry, lost his first tooth (all my kids are only 15 months apart). I know you are thinking there’s no way I messed up another first tooth experience but you’re wrong. This time I was downstairs making coffee when I heard his cries upstairs to my husband and had to sneak in his room for the swap so he was content after his next check.
Three teeth down and failure for two kids. You are now free to judge all you’d like. I have to get better at this. Hopefully the third child’s first experience I won’t ruin!?! Wish me luck and I pray all you other parents don’t fail at this as much as I do!