The Tooth Fairy Cometh

I was rifling through my jewelry drawer, looking for a small empty box to put Emme’s first tooth in. We cleaned and shined the tooth and needed the box so that it would be presentable to the tooth fairy and all. Emme is standing right beside me, grinning like a toothless cheshire cat. I find a small box and shake it. There’s something rattling around inside. I open the box, and there underneath the yellowed cotton square, are 8 1/2 tiny teeth. My mother was a notorious pack rat. And a sentimental one at that. It should also be noted that the same drawer holds a small envelope containing a bunch of gold teeth. I have no idea where or who she got those from. But it’s very telling that I still have them in my possession.

”Wow” exclaims Emme, “what is that?” “Those were my baby teeth, my Mommy kept them.” “Why didn’t the tooth fairy keep them?” Uh-oh. Busted. I came up with some lame story about all good tooth fairies making sure that the mommys get the baby teeth back after the tooth fairy is finished with them. She bought it.

I wrestled with just telling her the truth right then and there. About the tooth fairy, Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, menstruation, the whole sordid truth. I don’t want her to find out the way I did. It was the 5th Grade. An awkward time to be sure. I was standing in my front yard with my very best friend, Karen Klosterman. She was already wearing a bra, tall, had beautiful long chestnut brown hair, and I wanted to be just like her. Instead I was short, bra-wearing was a good two years away for me, and I had stringy blonde hair and freckles. To add insult to injury, I had just lost my two front teeth. Ten years old, and finally loosing my two front teeth. I have my 5th grade class picture in my mind. There I am, grinning all big. I was actually proud that I had finally lost those teeth and I wanted everyone to see that I had finally lost those teeth. I should have been horrified by the outfit and hairstyle I wore. Anyhoo. So Karen, very casually, spills her guts about Santa Claus. And sex. All in the same breath. I ran inside sobbing to my mother. Karen was right on the money about Santa, but she had her sex information all wrong. I decide to keep mum to my toothless 6 year old.

Emme has been clamoring to lose a tooth for about a year or so. Ever since her younger cousin started loosing his teeth. I told her that she might end up with her mother’s teeth, and they wouldn’t start falling out of her head until she turned 10. That didn’t make her feel any better. I had a very real fear that the younger sister would lose a tooth first. If that were to happen, there would be no peace in our house. Ever. So Emme asks me to check to see if any teeth are loose almost daily, for a year. I go through the ritual, like any good mommy. Finally, a few months ago, I check, and am surprised that indeed, a top front tooth is loose. It’s still loose to this day. It was an unexpected bottom tooth that made it’s exit tonight, after a little bleeding, much complaining, and a lot of wailing (mostly on my part).

The curious little sister has dropped this tiny tooth twice already tonight. So we decide that it should be wrapped in tissue in a sealed envelope, and placed under Emme’s pillow. When I tucked her in, Emme informed me that she was going to stay awake all night to watch for the tooth fairy. I told her that the tooth fairy wouldn’t come if she were awake. She grinned and said, “Mom, you can go ahead and take it if you want.” I smile and kissed her goodnight. No way. I’ll wait my turn to get it. And then I’ll stash it in a little box at the back of my jewelry drawer.