Everyone loves to hear children around age six or seven sing the song "All I Want for Christmas is My Two Front Teeth." If visits from the tooth fairy aren't exciting enough, visits from the tooth fairy around Christmas time must be the epitome of excitement for young children. Seth, at the mature age of ten, is obviously past that point; however, he's at another milestone in the ongoing process of replacing "baby" teeth with permanent ones. When kids get to be ten or eleven, it seems like every baby tooth they have left in their mouths becomes loose, all at the same time. I distinctly remember this situation with Luke. Nervous mom that I was (am?), I couldn't imagine it was normal for one kid to have that many loose teeth at the same time. Panicked, I called the dentist, who graciously reassured me that children are supposed to lose their teeth. I knew that. But all at once?!? Apparently so. Luke's situation was perfectly normal, and it's the exact situation in which Seth finds himself now.
As he was pointing out to me all these teeth at varying degrees of looseness and speculating about how much money he might receive, I casually mentioned that the tooth fairy is likely very busy in December, what with Christmas and all. Okay, okay, so why would the tooth fairy be any busier around Christmas than at any other time? I don't know. Trust me, it sounded good when I said it. Poor Seth had to wait three weeks last time he lost a tooth. There's something about being the fifth child in the family that causes that tooth fairy to be awfully slow and forgetful. I just wanted him to be prepared. His response: "If I don't get lots and lots of money for all these loose teeth, I want nothing more to do with the tooth fairy!"
Did you hear that, Tooth Fairy? The kid is serious.
This entire conversation occurred as we flew between Indiana and Denver this afternoon. Next topic: the safety of air travel. Upon descending into Denver, we experienced a bit of turbulence, not a lot and not bad, but a little. Seth hasn't flown that much, so the turbulence caused him some concern.
Seth: What if this plane crashes?
Me: The plane is not going to crash. You don't have to worry.
Seth: But what if it does?
Me: Seth, if I thought there was any reasonable chance at all that this plane would crash, I would not take you on it. Because you are very important.
Seth: No Mom, you are more important than me.
Me: Seth, that is just not true.
Seth: Mom! Yes, it is. I am just a kid, but you are the mother of five children. If I die, you still have four left. But if you die, none of us would have a mother. You are much more important.
Oh, my precious baby boy! Your logic is lovely, but in this case, you couldn't be more wrong.
Wishing everyone plenty of loose teeth followed by regular visits from the tooth fairy, and safe holiday travel, whether by plane or otherwise.
Love it. :) and I know what you mean about the tooth fairy getting forgetful for the fifth (and by the way, the sixth too) child. At our house, the teeth get left in a glass of water on the kitchen windowsill instead of under the pillow because that's what I always did as a kid (thank goodness, because it's a LOT easier to see and remember) and sometimes that water got halfway evaporated before the tooth fairy remembered...
ReplyDeleteSeth sounds adorable, by the way. Next time tell him that turbulence is the same thing in the air as bumps in the road are on the ground. The reason you have to stay in your seat with your seat belt on is because otherwise you might lose you balance and fall.
Susie
That's a great way to explain it, Susie. I will definitely tell him that next time he flies. And yes, he is adorable. I think so at least.
ReplyDelete