Money Well Spent
For years I have been laboring under a misconception.
Even as a child.
While delighted to find that there was money to be made in each and every lost tooth, I failed to see what the point was for the parents (erm, Tooth Fairy) to pony up for these bits of shed enamel.
Sort of like being paid to blink your eyes or yawn.
I mean, let's face it. The teeth, they are going to come out, yes? Not much point in paying for the inevitable. Not that I said anything at the time, mind you.
Now I get it.
For weeks and weeks and weeks, Colin has been toying with his first loose tooth. Barely touching it. Gently playing with it, as it hangs by a sinew. Both bottom permanent teeth have come in behind, of course.
"Wiggle the (damn) thing!" we urge him.
"As soon as it is out, the Tooth Fairy will put a dollar under your pillow. A dollar! For you to spend how ever you want to! A WHOLE DOLLAR!" we extol.
Finally, yesterday, at school, it could hang by its thread no longer and gave up the ghost.
Proudly, he brought it home, sealed in a district envelope.
This morning, he found the dollar.
He hasn't stopped wiggling its brother tooth, since.
It's not a reward, it's a bribe.
Even as a child.
While delighted to find that there was money to be made in each and every lost tooth, I failed to see what the point was for the parents (erm, Tooth Fairy) to pony up for these bits of shed enamel.
Sort of like being paid to blink your eyes or yawn.
I mean, let's face it. The teeth, they are going to come out, yes? Not much point in paying for the inevitable. Not that I said anything at the time, mind you.
Now I get it.
For weeks and weeks and weeks, Colin has been toying with his first loose tooth. Barely touching it. Gently playing with it, as it hangs by a sinew. Both bottom permanent teeth have come in behind, of course.
"Wiggle the (damn) thing!" we urge him.
"As soon as it is out, the Tooth Fairy will put a dollar under your pillow. A dollar! For you to spend how ever you want to! A WHOLE DOLLAR!" we extol.
Finally, yesterday, at school, it could hang by its thread no longer and gave up the ghost.
Proudly, he brought it home, sealed in a district envelope.
This morning, he found the dollar.
He hasn't stopped wiggling its brother tooth, since.
It's not a reward, it's a bribe.
Labels: The Small-Handed Ones
posted by Diana at 5:34 PM
9 Comments:
You lot only get a dollar a tooth there??
Sheesh!!
Lower cost of living out here. Plus, it is a 400% increase over what we got in the 70s. What is the inflated NYC rate (and how much can you expect to cash in for once the blessed event happens)?
A dollar sounds reasonable to me!
Hey, in Portugal there's no Tooth Fairy. Maybe bcs not many speak English still?
I still remember how it felt when you could just twist and twist and twist it, bfr it came loose. Ichs.
Cagey- I thought so, too, a crisp Midwest dollar. Don't spend it all in one place.
Johnny- NO!! How sad. Do they just get a "that's nice, dear," and pointed to the garbage can? As kids, we had to put the tooth in a glass of water by the bedside and the quarter would be there in its place in the morning. Now, we use the pillow.
A dollar is quite nice. We usually got the quarter as well, except the time that the Tooth Fairy forgot to come and I got a fiver.
My Dad once tried to talk me into have a string tied to my tooth and the tooth yanked. We were at a rodeo at the time. He wanted to tie it to a horse.
Dana- Your dad sounds like quite the practical man--use what is at hand. Isn't parental guilt a lovely thing? Five bucks then, to me, would have been like getting 100 bucks, now.
More evil twin spookiness here: Pockets had "grown-up" teeth that came in behind the baby teeth too. When they finally came out, the tooth fairy gave her $2/tooth, because the tooth fairy was very relieved at not having to pay the copay at the dentists office to have them pulled (It would have been considerably more than the $4 total the tooth fairy shelled out), which the dentist was wanting to do because she'd had the double row for MONTHS!
Teri- I got chills. THAT is 2 bucks well spent, indeed. Here's hoping that the baby teeth come out in time to avoid the orthodontist in a few years. I am good a futile hoping.
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