Yes, we do the “Tooth Fairy” thing at our house. Because it’s fun. It’s fun to be the tooth fairy. It’s fun for my kids to wait for the tooth fairy. Every kid deserves a little something for letting their mom or dad yank a tooth out of their head. So, we do it. The kids put their tooth in a baggie or envelope and stick under the pillow. I put on my pink-trimmed wings with silver sparkles and flutter in, slide the baggie or envelope out, and put a dollar in its place. Okay, I don’t put on the wings, but I imagine myself that way as I tiptoe into their rooms. 

Some of the kids think I’m the tooth fairy. Lauren knows I’m the tooth fairy, and maybe Mitchell. But the younger ones aren’t quite sure. They listen to the older kids lay it all out for them, explaining how it’s done, but their young audience is hesitant to believe this information. They gaze back at them, with a smirk, and filled with distrust. “You mean, Mom is the tooth fairy? I don’t know…I’ve always imagined her blonder and thinner. And younger.” So, they dangle on the fence a bit, wavering one way some days and the other way on other days. Not knowing for sure if Mom has a secret identity.

A few nights ago, I crept in with my zebra-striped flashlight, slid out the baggie with Leslie’s treasure in it, put the dollar in its place, and sneaked back out.

But, as I stepped into the light, I saw what I was holding: