Never Too Old For The Tooth Fairy
Cara and Roman Waiting for the Tooth Fairy
When is the tooth fairy the best financial and psychological option? It’s all about perspective. Sometimes a handful of coins is exactly the right choice.
I’ve always been very open with my kids about the value of money and I work hard to demonstrate appropriate financial decisions. A few days ago my crown popped off my molar while I was eating rice and veggies. (My rice is occasionally a little sticky, but it’s a long way from taffy-like, I swear!)
My eight year old gleefully envisioned the double haul we were going to pull in from the tooth fairy with his front tooth waiting nearby in an envelope. When I suggested I might have mine glued back in, he had that look the teens get when they are suggesting I may soon need full-time care. I was insistent despite his suggestion that you’re never too old for the tooth fairy. He shook his head in disappointment. In the 2nd grade world, gaping smiles are a status symbol and cash trumps teeth any old day.
I ran to a downtown dentist on my lunch hour, hoping that carrying my own tooth in an envelope wasn’t going to become a new trend. The dentist uses metered street parking and I rarely carry change. I found two nickels in my son’s drink holder that he’d picked up by an ice cream shop. I ran to the meter—scanning nearby shops for a place to make change—and found that the meter had one hour and thirty-seven minutes waiting for me. I was inordinately happy. Not only did I jot down a one and a thirty-seven to play on my next lottery ticket, I changed my attitude about the tooth. It was going to lead to great things, and I wasn’t thinking only of properly chewing dark chocolate with nuts.
The dentist glued the crown back in place without touching a drill. I’ve never been so happy to pay $65 for a drop of glue. When I told the hygienist about my luck at the meter, he said, “When you leave, you should put your money in. You’re not out any additional cash, but you’ll make someone else as happy as you are.”
As I fed a handful of quarters into the meter before pulling out, I had a flashback of stuffing a similar handful under my son’s pillow the night before, and I imagined it was a tooth fairy who had filled my meter. Turns out my boy was mostly right, a handful of coins can still make this girl grin from ear to ear—even without a missing tooth.
Pay attention to the details and celebrate the small stuff. Then, no matter how many teeth you do or don’t have, you’ll find all the reason you need to keep smiling.
