Page 124 - issue
P. 124
THE TOOTH AND NOTHING BUT THE TOOTH
by Eve Poupko that fateful day in kindergarten, when motivated her. She asked if she could
my daughter came home with her go to sleep right then and there.
It has come to my attention that tooth carefully placed in a plastic “tooth Unfortunately, it was only 4:30 in the
there is an important figure in our box,” my preconceived notions would afternoon.
children’s lives who generally goes be shattered. Joining in her excitement
unnoticed. That said, I would like to as she showed me her tooth, I quickly A while later, I got a phone call from
pay tribute and give special recogni- told her to put it under her pillow so my sister, sharing the good news that
tion to the tooth fairy. For many of the tooth fairy could come. When she her daughter had also lost her first
us, the tooth fairy has played an looked at me like I was crazy, I realized tooth. It seems that not only did her
intermittent, albeit prominent, role that she had never actually heard of the daughter buy into the tooth fairy sys-
in our lives. It’s not until we are on the tooth fairy. As we walked to her room, I tem, but she also collected on a nation-
“parent” side of this relationship that we proceeded to explain the ins and outs al level. Upon losing her tooth and
realize the ramifications of the sub- of the tooth fairy. Quietly, she took it all placing it under her pillow, my sister
terfuge involved in perpetuating this in. told her to call Grandma to share the
seemingly reasonable myth. good news, adding that Grandma
Little did I know that lying to one’s might even send her something for her
As a parent, my first encounter with child is not as easy as it seems. It was- tooth. My niece stared up at her moth-
the tooth fairy was quite different from n’t until later that in the day that she er with an incredulous look on her face
what I had experienced as a child. First began to question the flaws in the sys- and said, “Grandma knows the tooth
of all, as a child, having an older broth- tem. First of all, she wanted to know fairy?”
er and sister paved the way for a thor- what happened if other children lost
ough understanding of the situation. In teeth on the same day as she did. After It turns out that, in fact, Grandma
fact, I was privy to the existence of the all, the world is a big place. More knew the tooth fairy very well. Losing
tooth fairy well before all my teeth even important, based on the worried look teeth practically became a family side
grew in. Once my awareness of the on her face, she wanted to know that if business.
monetary aspect of the situation came the tooth fairy could get into her room,
to light, I was really hooked. I proceed- couldn’t other people get in too? Of course, this foray into fantasy
ed to ask my mother, on a daily basis, if land did not last forever. A while later,
any of my teeth were loose. She Now I was stumped. Not wanting to after a heated debate with her friends,
patiently wiggled my front teeth every scar my child for life because of a fool- my niece confronted my sister, who was
day and replied, “Sorry, sweetie, not ish notion, I told her the truth. I told forced to confess the reality of the situ-
yet.” her that when a mommy has a baby, ation. Luckily, her daughter was old
she also gets the special job of being enough to accept that her mother was
Unbeknownst to me, my impression the tooth fairy. I explained that this spe- the tooth fairy. After a moment of quiet
of a beautiful fairy, dressed in a glisten- cial job, which gets done after the child deliberation, she simply asked, “Does
ing beaded tutu who miraculously left is sleeping, is so that the child can get this mean the tooth fairy isn’t coming
quarters under the pillows of sleeping a special surprise in the morning. This anymore?”
children, was not to be part of my chil- not only assuaged her fears but also
dren’s oral tradition. Who knew that on Little did she know that the tooth
fairy would always be there for her.◆
116 u www.wherewhatwhen.com u
by Eve Poupko that fateful day in kindergarten, when motivated her. She asked if she could
my daughter came home with her go to sleep right then and there.
It has come to my attention that tooth carefully placed in a plastic “tooth Unfortunately, it was only 4:30 in the
there is an important figure in our box,” my preconceived notions would afternoon.
children’s lives who generally goes be shattered. Joining in her excitement
unnoticed. That said, I would like to as she showed me her tooth, I quickly A while later, I got a phone call from
pay tribute and give special recogni- told her to put it under her pillow so my sister, sharing the good news that
tion to the tooth fairy. For many of the tooth fairy could come. When she her daughter had also lost her first
us, the tooth fairy has played an looked at me like I was crazy, I realized tooth. It seems that not only did her
intermittent, albeit prominent, role that she had never actually heard of the daughter buy into the tooth fairy sys-
in our lives. It’s not until we are on the tooth fairy. As we walked to her room, I tem, but she also collected on a nation-
“parent” side of this relationship that we proceeded to explain the ins and outs al level. Upon losing her tooth and
realize the ramifications of the sub- of the tooth fairy. Quietly, she took it all placing it under her pillow, my sister
terfuge involved in perpetuating this in. told her to call Grandma to share the
seemingly reasonable myth. good news, adding that Grandma
Little did I know that lying to one’s might even send her something for her
As a parent, my first encounter with child is not as easy as it seems. It was- tooth. My niece stared up at her moth-
the tooth fairy was quite different from n’t until later that in the day that she er with an incredulous look on her face
what I had experienced as a child. First began to question the flaws in the sys- and said, “Grandma knows the tooth
of all, as a child, having an older broth- tem. First of all, she wanted to know fairy?”
er and sister paved the way for a thor- what happened if other children lost
ough understanding of the situation. In teeth on the same day as she did. After It turns out that, in fact, Grandma
fact, I was privy to the existence of the all, the world is a big place. More knew the tooth fairy very well. Losing
tooth fairy well before all my teeth even important, based on the worried look teeth practically became a family side
grew in. Once my awareness of the on her face, she wanted to know that if business.
monetary aspect of the situation came the tooth fairy could get into her room,
to light, I was really hooked. I proceed- couldn’t other people get in too? Of course, this foray into fantasy
ed to ask my mother, on a daily basis, if land did not last forever. A while later,
any of my teeth were loose. She Now I was stumped. Not wanting to after a heated debate with her friends,
patiently wiggled my front teeth every scar my child for life because of a fool- my niece confronted my sister, who was
day and replied, “Sorry, sweetie, not ish notion, I told her the truth. I told forced to confess the reality of the situ-
yet.” her that when a mommy has a baby, ation. Luckily, her daughter was old
she also gets the special job of being enough to accept that her mother was
Unbeknownst to me, my impression the tooth fairy. I explained that this spe- the tooth fairy. After a moment of quiet
of a beautiful fairy, dressed in a glisten- cial job, which gets done after the child deliberation, she simply asked, “Does
ing beaded tutu who miraculously left is sleeping, is so that the child can get this mean the tooth fairy isn’t coming
quarters under the pillows of sleeping a special surprise in the morning. This anymore?”
children, was not to be part of my chil- not only assuaged her fears but also
dren’s oral tradition. Who knew that on Little did she know that the tooth
fairy would always be there for her.◆
116 u www.wherewhatwhen.com u
