Losing Teeth is Tough But The Tooth Fairy is Smart

Sometimes being a parent means you have to do really horrible things to your children. Like pull a tooth. A tooth that's been dangling for months. Poor Julianna. Last night, I was helping her brush her teeth (I do this once in a while to make sure that everything looks okay) and was reminded of that tooth just hanging by a thread.

 

Here's a little history on this tooth: it was hanging by a thread back in November. I told her, "Julianna, you need to lose your tooth by Blake's birthday on the 16th, okay?" Didn't happen.

 

I then told her, "Julianna, you need to lose that tooth before we go to Utah for Thanksgiving, okay?" Nope.

 

Then, "Julianna, you need to lose this before you turn 12 (Dec. 6), okay?" No again.

 

By Christmas? Nope. New Year's? Nothing. She was not going to let me near that tooth, no matter what Joel and I did.

 

And by the way, the ENTIRE adult tooth had grown in already. Actually, I think it had been fully grown since Christmas. I had no idea how that baby tooth was surviving. 

 

So last night, I don't know what came over me, but I told her, I'm sorry, it's coming out. Right now. She was not happy about this, but it had to be done. And she could tell I meant business. So out it came, and while she cried for a few minutes and Joel comforted her, I was examining the tooth. The root looked curved, almost like it wrapped around the adult tooth somehow. No wonder it didn't come out on it's own! And as I was looking at the tooth over the bathroom sink, it slipped from my fingers and fell down the drain.

 

Blake said, "Oh wow, Mommy, REALLY?" He likes to say this to me a lot lately.

 

Julianna was concerned that the tooth fairy wouldn't come anymore, and I told her, don't worry, she will come. After the kids were in bed, I realized we had absolutely NO cash in the house, not even a nickel. Good thing the tooth fairy is so smart. Here's the note she left for Julianna under her pillow (in her fancy tooth fairy writing):

 

 

 

 

The tooth fairy's money fell down the drain, too! (Julianna said that was her favorite part). And since the tooth fairy said Mom had to buy her an ice cream at McDonalds instead, guess where we went after school?

 

 

Yep, I don't mess with the tooth fairy's specific instructions, and I told them this, too. Blake asked me why the tooth fairy always tells us random things. I told him because she is VERY creative. And Julianna has asked me about 12 times already if she's still going to get money from the tooth fairy tonight. Yes, I've told her, 12 times. As long as it doesn't fall down the drain again!

 

This is the fun part of being a mom. Creativity can really come in handy. Pulling teeth isn't that great, but a necessary evil of parenthood. I'm sure Julianna's forgotten all about the horrible incident by now and loves that she got her ice cream!