Keeping Up the Magic

Did you ever start something for your kids, to keep childhood fun and magical and then start to wonder....how long can I keep this up? My daughters believe in Santa, The Tooth Fairy, and The Easter Bunny. I love that about childhood, the wonder, the amazement about a secretive bunny who delivers you eggs and presents, Santa knowing you have been good all year giving you that one special present you REALLY wanted, and the Tooth Fairy, taking your old teeth and giving you money for your piggy bank. But my eldest Bug has started the habit of writing to these characters and expecting responses, and I do my best do change my handwriting and grant her wishes or requests from them. But last night she lost another tooth and I was just exhausted and thought..."No problem, just wait til she's asleep and do the switch."....but then she wrote a note. She wanted to know what the Tooth Fairy does with these teeth...and if she could also enclose a picture of what it is she does. UGH. I joked with my husband (George) after she read us the note that maybe we should just tell her, because I really wanted to go to bed and didn't know if I could stay awake longer than her. But no, that would ruin the magic I am trying to keep alive, so there I went, in the tiniest printing possible, ensuring it looked nothing like mine, writing out the reply. And then drawing the ever so elaborate "tooth castle" which is what we have decided is what she does with the teeth. She builds her home. And then this morning, the reason I do these things was obvious, she was beaming because she got a note. She told me all about it and showed me the castle, it has made her day. How could I have ever thought to take that away? It makes her so happy, and me too.
She now wonders how the Tooth Fairy could hold a pen...but I left that up to George.

The Tooth Rant

Buggy has had this tooth that has been the bane of my existence for about a year now. The ever so helpful school had a dentist come in to check all the children's teeth last year and Buggy had a cavity, and was required that she a dentist asap because children who have cavities apparently have never seen a dentist. So I made her an appointment straight away and we saw the dentist. He looked at me afterwards and said: "Well yes she has a cavity, but I am not fixing it...it is going to fall out shortly afterwards so why waste the time and money." As much as I do not wish dental procedures on my children, I almost wanted him to fill it so at least there was proof that indeed she had seen the dentist. I am not sure what exactly I was worried they would do, but you never know anymore. I had heard this horror story of a school who involved CAS because of neglecting oral care for a child who genuinely had a oral condition. He was seeing a dentist often but there was no way to resolve this childs problem so the school just assumed it wasn't being dealt with at all. Probably a total fallacy but I still don't need that kind of stress. So I sat with dread wondering when they will be back to check the teeth of these cavity filled children and discover no work has been done on her tooth meaning that I am a bad mother. Well they never said anything (sigh of relief) but the tooth seemed like it had set up permanent residence in her mouth...this baby tooth was tough, it never seemed to ever be getting loose. Other perfectly healthy happy baby teeth had fallen out and been replaced by their pearly white adult teeth, but not this darn tooth with the cavity.
Well she finally after a whole year has a little present for the tooth fairy tonight, when it became loose, I longed for the days of string and doorknob pulls. But nature finally took its course and it has finally been expelled. I can finally sleep easily knowing the little bugger is finally gone. Who knew a little tooth could cause so much relief when it finally fell out?