Monday, May 13, 2013

The parenting handbook needs updating (again)

Mr6's hoarding tendencies may have reached their zenith. I hope. In not-unrelated news, he is also delighted to be - at last - Big.

"Look, Mum!" he shouted, running across the playground after school, waving a small yellow envelope at me. "I lost my tooth!"

Thank heavens. Said tooth had been hanging on by a sliver of root, dangling from the front of his mouth for days.

"Terrific," I said, putting it in my pocket. "We'll leave it out for the tardy tooth fairy tonight."

Fast forward about four hours. He is preparing for bed - AKA running around in Ninja Turtle pyjamas practising his roundhouse kicks. Very relaxing.

"Get your tooth," I instruct. "We'll need to put it in a glass for the fairy."

He leaps off (flying front kick, apparently) and returns moments later with the yellow envelope. And promptly bursts into tears.

"What's the matter?" I ask, kneeling down to be eye-to-eye with him.

"I don't want to give my tooth away!" he wails.

Good grief.

"But you have to give the fairy the tooth - you don't get cash for nothing, you know," I reason.

He wails louder.

"But it's MY tooth," he blubbers. "Not hers."

O-kay.

"Um. Do you want to, er, think about it for a while? You could hold on to the tooth for a few days and just, you know, get used to the idea."

He nods, tears vanishing like magic, and smiles his (gappier) little smile.

"Great idea Mum! We'll leave it in the envelope so that she can't see it and take it by mistake."

And so, five days later, the tooth, still in its little yellow envelope, remains on his desk. Each night I ask him if he's ready to 'let go' and each night he answers 'not quite yet, Mum', despite the cash inducement.

Seriously, this stuff is not in the handbook.

Did your kids give up their teeth happily?

PS: Winner of the copy of Into My Arms, signed by author Kylie Ladd, is Linda Nathaniel for her romance-novel-worthy description of first love. Please email me your postal address, Linda!

11 comments:

  1. Our first experience with the tooth fairy came after my then 3 year old managed to smash out her three front teeth and part of her palate at the library (yes, the very dangerous library).... and we over compensated... a lot!

    For the next few years my twins spent large amounts of time trying to extract their own teeth to get what they thought would be large monetary rewards. When they finally did lose a tooth naturally they were disgusted with the 1$ coin in the bottom of the glass and promptly declared they tooth fairy a cheapskate who would never again get their teeth... though the embargo didn't last long, $1 was still better than nothing.

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  2. Oh dear....I see this in my future!!!! My Mr 4.5 still wails about the pre-Christmas toy clean up we did and the 3 cars he was (very reluctantly) persuaded to donate to charity. He told my Mum last week that he, "really misses those cars". I shall watch your journey with interest.

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  3. Bless his heart. (Lexie has just lost toof mumber two, and parted with it very very easily. But similar to young Mr6, she was very reticent to let go of the first one. IT took a week of cajoling, I think.)

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  4. The Munchkin first came to terms with the Tooth Fairy a long, long time ago with his made up story that somehow involved Rupert Bear, Fr Christmas and said Tooth Fairy. I don't remember all the details, but the Tooth Fairy apparently used all the teeth to make up a special playground - who for??? No idea!!! But he was most excited to have his teeth finally become part of the playground. We even had to explain that the NZ Tooth Fairy (picked up on a cruise ship - with $1 NZ), had been returned to his own Tooth Fairy so that they could all go into the playground together. Guessing it's a bit late for that now though :(

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  5. I sympathise. I still have Louis' first two teeth in a love heart box in my office. Hamish discovered the box the other day, and I had to do the big leap across the room to stop him discovering my secret fairy identity.
    I really need to let go.

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  6. Have him watch 'Rise of the Gaurdians' it shows what the tooth fairy does with teeth - keeps them as a set of memories for each child.

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    1. He watched it! He still doesn't want to give it up. He is now thinking he'll keep it until he loses another one - and maybe it will be easier.

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  7. Oh dear - there are all types aren't there? My son would pull all his teeth out for a money raising activity if he could, and my 5 year old tells me her teeth are loose every day (they are not).

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  8. My daughter is hanging on to her lastest tooth (one that has fallen out), for when she "is short of money", and will cash it in then with the Fairy. I like that sort of planning!

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  9. This is a new one on me! All previous experience suggests kids I know have been only too keen to part with teeth for cash. And probably any other bits, like nail parings, old skin, scabs etc. if there were fairies for such things. Except for one youngster I knew who wailed when he cut himself: he did not realise that the body makes new blood, so he thought that any he lost would be lost for ever and make him die young!

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  10. Can't say we've had tooth separation anxiety around these parts. All were quite glad to hand over teeth in return for cold hard cash. And they are not happy when the tooth fairy forgets to collect the tooth either! *blushes*

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