Some children are afraid to lose their teeth. It's uncomfortable to eat when the tooth is loose, it can hurt, and sometimes there's even blood. I think that's why long ago a clever parent invented the Tooth Fairy. It gave the children something to look forward to, and lessen the fear.
Then there are children like my son. Never apprehensive, he met his first tooth loss and each once since with extraordinary exuberance. If I let him, he'd probably take a hammer and chisel to his remaining teeth just to get the attention of the Tooth Fairy, and the children at school.
He'd already lost five teeth, while many of my friends' first graders have yet to lose their first. He'd yet to lose one at school, though, being forced to simply report the event, instead of experiencing the heady excitement of the at-school tooth loss.
He'd been telling me for a few days that his tooth was loose, and frankly I was concerned. He's already missing his two front teeth, and I worried that a three-tooth gap might make eating difficult - a complication I felt sure would give him pause. So I asked him not to play with the tooth - to let it come out naturally. I warned him about the possible eating issues, and he took it like a first-grader.
In other words, he completely ignored me.
And today he came home, triumphant in his lost-tooth-at-school victory. He was filled with pride as he regaled me with the story of how he had to wiggle it back and forth a zillion times, and then twist it to get it out. He's now sporting a gap large enough for three straws, or a double-wide trailer.
And the final score is Dan 6, teeth 0. And the Tooth Fairy is losing her money hand over fist. She's going to have to mortgage her wings...
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