Of the Tooth Fairy

My baby girl is growing up.She lost tooth #2 yesterday. She actually lost it. It came out at school, and when I collected her it was, “oh... somewhere.”.This of course presented a slight crisis.Us solo dads really don’t want to screw up the basic important things when we have the kids under our care.Rapid research was required.A text to her mother confirmed that the going rate for a front tooth was now $2. WTF? Inflation certainly has impacted the Tooth Fairy business. I’m pretty sure when I was 5 it was at the most 10c. It’s clearly extortionate now.I figured I needed some suggestions as to how I approach maintaining the mystery of the Tooth Fairy when no tooth is present.I tweeted: “Oh crap. Miss 5 lost a tooth. And actually lost it. What is the Tooth Fairy protocol in this situation?”I was impressed with the number of replies, and also amused by the many different positions held by people. There are some out there who really have childhood scars they’ve not recovered from!Anyway, after a conversation with Miss 5, (in which she was wavering in her belief in the Tooth Fairy, but wasn’t quite ready to reject it due to the possibility that such a rejection would lead to no income) and drawing from some great suggestions, we decided that we should write a note to the Tooth Fairy where I verified and confirmed that the tooth was, in fact, out of her mouth and missing, and accompanied by her drawing a picture of the missing tooth. This should satisfy the burden of proof.She went to bed. We slipped the note under her pillow.And amazingly when she woke up in the morning, there was a $2 coin. JOY!!God I love being a parent!There is a downside though. 5 becomes 6 becomes 7 etc., the baby teeth go. The mysteries of childhood become memories. Boys turn up. Dad buys a softball bat. The cycle of life huh?- S