RIP Tooth Fairy

It was a great ride while it lasted…..

I understood that one day the secret would be out and with daughter being 10, we were on borrowed time. Yesterday she came home from school with another lost tooth in one of those super cute tooth chests. Husband did what he always does when she loses a tooth and hyped it up saying that the tooth fairy would come tonight while she slept. She confided in him that no one at school believed there was a tooth fairy and she thought they might be right. Of course, husband tells me later that night and I grieve internally. Wasn’t it just yesterday I held her in the hospital as the sun shined on her bald head and I thought to myself….what in the hell am I going to do with a baby?! Wasn’t it just yesterday we battled sleepless nights of teething, giving up the bottle, baby food, that scary but exciting transition from baby clothes to the ‘T’ sizes? Wasn’t it just yesterday that I had to hold a crying two year old and try to explain to her why Daddy walked out on us? But it wasn’t. It was yet another monumental moment in her life that I had to put on my adult thinking cap and carefully navigate the situation. As I approached her this morning to see if she checked under her pillow for the tooth fairy (who left her $1) she seemed apprehensive but did so any way. I asked her why she seemed out of sorts. She then told me that they were discussing the tooth fairy in class and the teacher asked if any one believed. She was the only one to give a delayed answer of no. So I told her that while she sleeps after losing a tooth someone does come in and deposit that dollar under her pillow. I asked her with a smile who she thought it was. She looked me in the eye and said “Cleo”. My heart broke as Cleo is our recently deceased family cat of 13 years. I said to guess again….she had no idea. I then stated that her tooth fairy is her step father. Her eyes got as big as saucers, amazed that it was him. I then proceeded to tell her that we do not want to tell her younger brothers about it and maybe she could be their tooth fairy when they lose teeth. She was very satisfied with that answer. I know Santa is next….and the Easter Bunny, but I didn’t want to lose too much of her innocence this morning. There is always tomorrow to tell her…or the next day…or the next day……