Testing the Tooth Fairy

As a child, my most beloved possession was my tooth fairy pillow.  I still have it, carefully packaged away to preserve it’s frayed edges.  One year my parents staged a tooth fairy visit so convincing that I truly believed that I was going to be a tooth fairy someday.  That said, Adam and I have never carried on the tooth fairy tradition with our kids.  We enjoy playing make-believe with Megan and Paul but we have never acted as though the tooth fairy were real (we apply the same approach to Santa Clause and the Easter Bunny).

Last Friday Megan lost a bottom tooth.  Right before bed she confided, “I’m testing the tooth fairy tonight.  I put my tooth under my pillow to see what will happen.”  “Oh really,” I thought, “now what should I do?”  Megan also told me that she had been reading tooth fairy books at school that day.  Curiosity had taken a hold of her!

Instead of crushing Megan’s spirit I made the decision to play tooth fairy.  We talked about what might happen and after discussing the going rate (Megan suggested $100.00…I suggested $.25) I tucked Megan and Paul  into bed.  A few hours later I tip-toed into Megan’s room and replaced her tooth with two shiny quarters.  I placed her tooth safely into the pouch of a stuffed animal tooth fairy pillow which was sitting on Megan’s desk.

Megan woke up the next morning with a huge grin on her face.  While she didn’t say anything at first, it was clear that she had checked for her tooth and found the quarters.  A few hours passed before Megan declared, “Mom, the tooth fairy is real.”  Paul quickly seized the opportunity to add his two cents.  “The tooth fairy isn’t real,” he said, “I took your tooth and put money under your pillow.”

Keep in mind that Megan sleeps in a loft bed.  Paul would have had to climb the loft ladder and crawl across Megan – without waking her up.  “Really,” asked Megan, “If it was you, where is my tooth?”  Without skipping a beat, Paul told Megan exactly where the tooth was hidden.  He and Megan ran to her room to see if he were right.

“I guess Paul is the tooth fairy,” Megan laughed.

Case closed.