Thursday, November 15, 2007

Santa, the Bunny, and the Fairy

Brian's tooth fell out today while he was on the playground after school! He said he was just running in the mulch and it fell out. Luckily he caught it, because I cannot imagine searching for a tiny tooth in a playground full of mulch and kids! Well the searching might be okay - it's the tears that would get to me. But it would be a good "I told you so!" If he had just let me or his Dad pull it out - he would have it safe at home and probably have the money in his pocket. I know that it would probably make him cry harder. Maybe just maybe he would let me pull the next one out! I do believe the rule is that if you cannot find your tooth and have made every reasonable effort to find it, that the Tooth Fairy comes anyway!

We brought it home and put it in his plastic tooth for the Tooth Fairy. Then he changed his mind. He wanted to take his tooth to school for sharing the next day. So, this meant that he didn't want the Tooth Fairy to take his tooth - but of course he still wanted the cash! So, we wrote a note asking the Tooth Fairy to please leave his tooth so that he could bring it to school the next day! He was very happy to wake up in the morning and see that he had three dollars from the tooth fairy! He told me the night before that he thought he might get three dollars since it was the third tooth that he lost. The Tooth Fairy must have been listening!

Then he showed me on the back of his tooth holder that there was a little picture of the Tooth Fairy. He says, "Mom, I think this picture is on here so that if kids get up at night to go potty or something, that the Tooth Fairy can just go here and blend right in. I think the kids will never see her and that is how she can hide." What great thinking! We have come a long way from his first tooth where he wanted his it in the bathroom because he was afraid of her "poofing" into his room at night.

A few other parents and I had a discussion about his fears on the playground the other day. It is funny how we tell them to be wary of strangers, not to talk to them and to never accept gifts from them. Yet it is okay for the Tooth Fairy, Easter Bunny, and Santa Claus to enter our homes in the middle of the night and leave gifts for the kids.

We shove them crying onto Santa's lap. Here kids sit with this strange man with a beard in a funny suit. Get on his lap and let him put his arms around you! We bribe them to smile with the Easter Bunny. Let's go - there is nothing to be afraid of - except for a six foot tall bunny that walks on two legs and doesn't talk! Just take one picture and smile, then I will take you to the toy store. I would think that they have to get a little confused sometimes!

Brian has always been a little afraid of these icons - Sean, on the other hand, seems to like them. Neither have ever been afraid of mascots or other types of costumes but then we have never asked them to get on their laps either. Plus, Sean did have Brian to go with when he was younger and Brian was all alone.

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