Tooth Fairy

My oldest lost a tooth first thing in the morning.

It's about tooth #11, I think.

No surprises.

Wiggle it until it's ready and bingo....the tooth comes out.

Off to school she went with a new gap in her teeth.

You can't see it because it's on the lower rack.

At bedtime, Sweet Cheeks got her tooth all ready in the zipper bag.

Placed it underneath her pillow and got tucked in.

She said "Mom, is the Tooth Fairy is real?"

Ahhhhh, what should I say?

I'm not ready to answer this at bedtime.

Why now?

I've been playing along with all this imaginary stuff since they were born.

It's fun.  It's innocent.

I love it!

She's in 4th grade and the kids talk.

Most kids don't believe in that stuff.

So, I ask myself...

Should I be lying to my girls?

How long should I continue this facade?

I can't believe she's almost 10.

All these things were sPiNnInG in my brain.

So.....

I fessed up.

It all came pouring out.

She wasn't that surprised.

She said that the idea of the tooth fairy coming in her room

at night actually creaped her out.

I told her that she had to keep this VERY PRIVATE and

not blow it for others who believe, like her younger sister.

Maybe she was frightened because the image in her mind looked like this:

After she found out the news, she said to me and the Mr.,

"that's all I want to hear about tonight".

T-Bone and I figure that she was already wondering about Santa.

In the end, I put $20 bill (it's usually a buck around here)

inside a letter from her tooth fairy, Esmerelda.

I've called her Tooth Fairy that name since tooth #1 was lost.

Esmerelda always writes a hand-written letter.

The $20 was to help with the shock of the news.

She acted surprised in the morning when she looked under her pillow...

but only because her sister was standing right there.

Good-bye, Tooth Fairy.

At least I've still got a couple of years with Sugar Nugget.