Smile
The Tooth Fairy has been…
The loud rustle of garden growth from behind me made me freeze with fright as I hung out our washing. It was still early morning – only just light enough to see. A wuss in real life, such noises always frighten me but this time I thought “Right! Whatever it is, it’s about to get a good whack from my washing basket!” Turning towards the sound I see our then four-year-old son still clad in his pyjamas rummaging through the garden. Haaa??? Basket is lowered. Crises averted.
Relieved but still troubled – I thought “Okay… What is this child up to?”
Starting early
Hi, my name is Ann, mother of five and now a grandmother. As parents, our children have taught both my husband and me so much. We started our parenting journey so very early – having our first daughter at the tender age of 17. “Babies having babies” is the term I have heard used to describe us – and I cannot argue – that is exactly who we were. However, we were the lucky ones, in that we both came from families who banded together at that time to support and guide us with our newborn daughter. I am more than aware that not everyone is so lucky. That, although parenting is one of the toughest jobs in the world, some are doing it alone. I take this moment to honor you.
Life does that sometimes
Life definitely does that sometimes – it doesn’t go according to plan.
There is no way you will ever find parental advice from us.
How could we ever step into that disciplined and highly organised arena? We did everything back to front, upside down, and inside out. We identified more with the family from the TV program “The Middle”.
I do however hope to throw a more casual light on the random times when our children expose the beautiful gems that they are with random things they say and do. Sometimes, as new mums and dads – life can be a hot mess and in our hurry to ‘get things done’, we may not see or appreciate our kids for the wealth they offer. Catch a breath, allow your eyes to catch a glimpse of their amazing views and thoughts and our reactions to them.
Eventually the “babies having babies” grew a little older and married and our daughter went on to have four other siblings. The child at the beginning of this story was our second born – five years younger than his sister.
Mystery Solved
“Child! why are you in the garden!?”
He replies in a quiet voice “I’m looking for where the Tooth Fairy lives…she lives in the garden doesn’t she? Well I think she lives in this garden because this is the closest to the window where she leaves my money.”
We always made our kids leave their tooth in a cup on the kitchen windowsill as it makes it easier for the Tooth Fairy to find. Our son was in the garden directly outside that kitchen window.
When I heard his explanation I thought “Ah…how cute are you! Such innocence.”
Continuing his search he adds “You should know where she lives Mum because you always talk about her.”
“Yes” I reassure him – “but I’ve never seen her garden house. Have you found anything yet?”
“Not yet” he whispers.
I leave him to his imagination and his great search.
Mayhem
So many parents out there have had the pleasure of knowing exactly where the Tooth Fairy lives – as you suddenly awake only minutes before the child with the gaping hole between their baby teeth – to get the coin to the Tooth Fairy’s “pick up/exchange point”. You return to bed giving yourself a mental high five knowing you did well, “you delivered!”. Minutes later an excited child bursts in to show you how much the Tooth Fairy left them last night.
She’s nocturnal – like Father Christmas. And we used this “fact” as a ploy to get them to go to bed early “or she won’t come and you get “Nothing!”.
We have been caught out – with our youngest child up at the crack of dawn (the “going to bed early” ploy clearly worked against us in this instance. Mental note: 5.30 pm is too early for that kid to go to bed!). He checked the cup on the window sill and found to his great disappointment that it held no money at all but only his tooth he dropped in there the evening before. Said child pulled up a chair and sat right in front of that cup to watch and probably question the Tooth Fairy when she finally decided to show up – no doubt to ask her “What time do you call this?!” Or to query her work ethic.
Meanwhile, comatose parents suddenly awake in horror “Tooth Fairy Money!” Dad leaves to make the exchange only to return to the bedroom to tell me that “He’s sitting right in front of the cup!” So I call the child to ask him some fake question just so his dad can make the exchange. With only a five dollar note between us at the time – which back then, was way, way above the going rate – the mission was finally accomplished.
Why?
Why do we do this to ourselves? Why do we allow the likes of the Tooth Fairy, Father Christmas, and the Easter Bunny push us around like this? These concepts we buy into in order to be seen (or not seen as the case may be) to fulfill this public image of ironically something no one has ever seen.
I can only speak for myself and conclude that anytime you lose a tooth (and even as an adult it’s pretty harrowing, I can tell ya that for nothing!) the thought of telling the child to put it away for the Tooth Fairy to collect, somehow takes a little of the scariness away – and can change the whole experience for them. So as a parent, I think “Ah…what the heck…they aren’t little people for long” and use that moment to ease a tiny bit of magic into their lives – because – yes it does calm them – and yes the possibility of exchanging that stinky old tooth for a coin is a game changer.
So, to all fellow Tooth Fairies – power to you – that your energy exceeds your children’s – that a coin is always readily available. Take comfort in the knowledge that given time your children will learn exactly “where the Tooth Fairy lives” as that once four year old son – now a father of two – knows only too well.
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