Missing Teeth

For the past couple of weeks (months really), my six year-old son has been carrying on about his loose tooth. This has been a source of pride for my son, as he has watched his older brother loose several teeth over the past year. My six year-old desperately wants to keep up with his brother and no matter how many times we explain that these things come with age and time, he insists that he will be the same as his brother once he starts loosing a tooth.

Although I have dutifully checked his tooth every time he asks, I just didn’t have the heart to tell him that none of his teeth were really loose at all. Much to my surprise, however, when he came to me a couple of days ago about his tooth, I found it on the verge of falling out. This was an exciting moment for both my son and for me. As I wiggled the tooth around, I casually asked if he would like for me to take it out so the “Tooth Fairy” could come. With a frightened look in his eyes, he quickly told me that we could wait a while.

As the hours passed, I was peppered with questions about the Tooth Fairy, whether it would hurt taking it out, and what would the tooth look like. After answering each question about a hundred times, the anticipation finally got the better of my son. He came to me shortly before his mother was due home from work and asked if I cold take his loose tooth out. Smiling at his obvious nervousness, I quickly gave his tooth a quick tug and out it came. No tears were shed, but he was surprised when it started to bleed. Once we got him cleaned up and the bleeding to stop, he couldn’t help but beam with pride at his “accomplishment” and couldn’t wait to show his mother his “new” smile.

Later that night, as my wife and I slipped into his room to switch his tooth for a dollar tied up in flavored dental floss, we couldn’t help feeling a little sad. Our little baby boy is growing up and this is just another sign. As we left his room, I couldn’t help but wondering, what is the going rate for the tooth fairy these days?