Sign up for a free recipe e-book →

Clarissa's Blog

First Tooth

Published by

Clarissa

on

Klara lost her first tooth at school today, and the teacher was ready with a tooth necklace to make sure the tooth isn’t lost. I’m sensitive these days, so the kindness behind this tooth necklace almost finished me off.

Klara is now writing a letter to the tooth fairy, asking her to let her keep the first tooth.

Our priest decided to be funny and said, “I heard there’s inflation, and the tooth fairy is now bringing $30-40 per tooth.” Everybody loved the joke except for the parents of children whose permanent teeth are coming in.

15 responses to “First Tooth”

  1. Victoria Avatar
    Victoria

    Yes, I get very annoyed when people make these types of comments to my kid. We always give her $1 (golden dollar coin, so it is “special”), and a pack of a type of stickers she collects. And she loves it. My mom made this comment recently after my kid had to get a tooth pulled (she had chipped it and it was super loose already so really it was nothing). It’s really not as funny as they think. And it sets up a child to be disappointed bc what lunatic is giving their kid $30 for losing a tooth?

    Congrats to Klara 🥳

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply
    1. kharking Avatar
      kharking

      The tooth fairy brings a dollar with a little bit of glitter on it to our house for the first tooth. So far she has managed a different color each time.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply
      1. Clarissa Avatar
        Clarissa

        Shoot, I should have thought about the glitter part.

        Like

        Reply
    2. Dreidel Avatar
      Dreidel

      The priest can afford to make statements like that, since he doesn’t have any kids losing teeth.

      I only got a lousy dime per tooth when I was a kid.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply
  2. methylethyl Avatar
    methylethyl

    Never could manage the tooth fairy thing. My kids are so deprived.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    1. bluebird of bitterness Avatar
      bluebird of bitterness

      We didn’t do the tooth fairy, Easter bunny, or Santa Claus. Not criticizing parents who do, but we couldn’t bring ourselves to teach our kids to believe in anything we didn’t believe in ourselves.

      Needless to say, all of our kids grew up to be ax murderers.

      Liked by 2 people

      Reply
      1. methylethyl Avatar
        methylethyl

        It wasn’t any kind of big ethical question for us, it’s just that I can’t actually lie– to my kids or anyone else. We explained to the kids that all of these things– Santa, tooth fairy, easter bunny– are fun games that some families like to play with their kids, and that it would not be nice to disillusion other children about them. We might have tried it if we were any good at playacting, but we aren’t, so… oh well. We play Rummy instead.

        Liked by 2 people

        Reply
        1. Clarissa Avatar
          Clarissa

          Exactly. If it feels unnatural, definitely don’t do it. Children have a radar for weirdness and uncomfortable vibes. It gives them anxiety. Say what feels honest and natural to you, is my motto.

          Liked by 1 person

          Reply
        2. kharking Avatar
          kharking

          We don’t do Easter bunnies or Santa either but somehow they heard about the tooth fairy and were excited about it so we went for it. No hype and cagey answers when they ask about how the process works because I’m not comfortable with straight out lying to them either. My oldest graduated to being the tooth fairy a couple of years ago and it was a smooth transition to her enjoying the game.

          Like

          Reply
          1. methylethyl Avatar
            methylethyl

            That sounds like a great compromise!

            Like

            Reply
      2. cliff arroyo Avatar
        cliff arroyo

        “all of our kids grew up to be ax murderers”

        But very rational ax murderers! So there’s that.

        Liked by 2 people

        Reply
      3. Clarissa Avatar
        Clarissa

        I commend you on your approach. Really. It’s crucial to be honest with children to preserve trust.

        I live in a world of characters that to me are more real than reality, so when I talk about the tooth fairy, I don’t lie. But if you feel you’d be dishonest in telling these stories, definitely don’t tell them. You have a great instinct here. Strange that with such great parenting your kids turned out to be ax murderers. (Joke).

        Liked by 1 person

        Reply
  3. Pen Avatar
    Pen

    My sister’s two front teeth were knocked out in an accident so she got five dollars of pity money. :p

    Like

    Reply
  4. el Avatar
    el

    Is tooth fairy and paying for teeth an American thing? Never heard of such in my childhood in Ukraine or here in Israel.

    Googled what a tooth necklace is and it was kind of scary. 🙂 Does anyone truly wear it? Do people keep it for a while and then throw out?

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    1. Clarissa Avatar
      Clarissa

      This is the tooth necklace:

      Fun Express Tooth Saver Necklaces – 144 Per Pack https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0097CY2WY/ref=cm_sw_r_apan_i_HJ7N3J8CKM0V3TAB3B71?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

      Not scary at all. I hope she tires if it soon and gives the tooth to me. The tooth cost me dearly, as it was the first one to come out and the teething process was brutal.

      Like

      Reply

Leave a comment

A conservative literary critic and college professor

Recent posts