When the Tooth Fairy Flees

It's creepy when you think about it. The fact that we put our children's teeth under their pillow, and then overnight as they sleep, the Tooth Fairy leaves them a small reward, usually monetary, replacing their teeth. This as a reward for eventually getting their big kid teeth. 

Based on some quick research, cultural traditions like the Tooth Fairy have evolved over the years. In the 13th century, there was a Norse and Northern European tradition of tand-fé or tooth fee, which was paid when a child lost their first tooth. In the Norse culture, children's teeth and other articles belonging to children were said to bring good luck in battle, and Scandinavian warriors hung children's teeth on a string around their necks.

Creepy. And most historians believe that the tradition of ‘trading’ baby teeth for money or treats could link back to an 18th-century story in France, La Bonne Petite Souris (The Little Mouse).

Also of levity note, our kids used to watch a funny cartoon called Teen Titans (based on the DC comics Teen Titans), and there was a villainess character on it called the Tooth Fairy. Literally the Tooth Fairy with an creepy voice who would steal people's teeth and eat them for food. Both gross and super creepy.

Today, it's rite of passage ritual that remains for kids heading toward adulthood. I remember getting a quarter for each tooth I put under my pillow, and today our kids have gotten and get $1-$2 per tooth. What a creepy racket. Our oldest Beatrice is all done with losing teeth and having braces now (besides maybe wisdom teeth someday), but Bryce was later to the party to lose her molars. Developmentally she's still in the window of losing teeth, just later than Beatrice did. Multiple teeth in the past few months have come out and she's got a little dough in her hands. 

Kids are proud when they loose their teeth. "Look Mom and Dad" they tell us when one comes out, holding it up proudly as if they found a gold nugget. Which in a sense it is for them. Because Bryce is a little older than Bea was when she lost her remaining teeth, it's harder to pull off the Tooth Fairy. We know that they know that we're the Tooth Fairy, but like many other myths we teach our children, they want to hold onto childhood as long as possible. We don't blame them; I know I still hold onto mine. 

But it is harder to pull off the Tooth Fairy because both our kids are staying up later. Slipping the cash under the pillow unseen is a tough gig, one that Mom can still nimbly do. Until she forgets (and I'm no help). The latest Bryce tooth remained unpaid under the pillow the next morning, but Bryce didn't say anything until after school the next day.

"Mom, the Tooth Fairy didn't come," Bryce said. 

"Oh, we'll have to try again," Mom said.

"My friends told me we should just leave it on the kitchen table and try that," Bryce said.

"Good idea."

So that's what we did, we left her tooth on the table this time, no matter how much creepier that was than leaving it under her pillow. And presto -- two bucks were left on the table for Bryce the next morning. She was happy and we were happy. 

As adults, we do what we can to keep our grown-up teeth, because there's no payout for losing them later in life. There's only lots of dental work and ultimately false teeth or implants that'll cost us big time. No help from the Tooth Fairy here. That's all we get. 

In the meantime, we thought about buying Bryce out for the rest of her baby teeth, but then that's when the Tooth Fairy flees. Instead, we'll give her a few more payouts until that time, to keep the magic alive a little bit longer.