Monday, August 29, 2011

Another little Revelation

Freesias from the lawn picked to go on the outside table

Also on the outside table

5 Boys being watched from the outside table

Blue Eyes is 5 and is a master of the Understatement, always surprising us with his little revelations.

So I had my sister and her 2 little boys staying with us on the weekend. There were 6 kids in the house, 5 boys (ages 3, 3, 3, 4 & 5) and Miss Fancy (7). Needless to say there was plenty of wine in the fridge to keep the adults happy and the only strategy that one could employ with this number of kids in this age bracket is the strategy of benign neglect - you know the one where you are still parenting but you pretty much leave the kids to their own devices? Experts say this is good for kids so who I am to argue?

Anyway, consistent with this strategy the adults left the 5 boys on the trampoline and ventured back inside to top up our drinks and think about dinner. We were gone but 5 minutes when suddenly Blue Eyes appears in the doorway with a mouth full of blood. It was on his hands too and dripping on the floor.

The following conversation took place:

Me: Oh my goodness what on earth happened? There's blood everywhere! (crap! we really should have been supervising them and not drinking so much - now who is going to take him to the hospital?)


Blue Eyes: A tooth has come out.


Me: A tooth? The whole tooth? What happened? How?


Blue Eyes: Well I was eating rice crackers and I heard a click and it came out.


Me: Oh wow - so you lost a tooth!?! You just lost your first tooth!! That's so cool Blue Eyes!! I didn't even know you had a wobbly tooth! Did you know?


Blue Eyes: Yes.


Me: Why didn't you tell us?


Blue Eyes: I forgot.


Me: Oh, ok, well let's see it! Where is it then?


Blue Eyes: Well I didn't want to swallow it so I spat it all into my hand and it was all covered with rice crackers and then I flicked it all on the ground.


Me: Oh, ok, so let's go get it so we can leave it for the tooth fairy. How exciting!


Blue Eyes: The Whippet ate it.

Of course he did. No revelation there. You have to know the Whippet to understand how special he is. A few of his special traits (aka phobias, obsessions, issues) were discussed here.

So I was feeling pretty bad. All my kids are different but it still amazes me how differently they can react to the same set of circumstances. Blue Eyes - we didn't even know he had a loose tooth, so insignificant to him he FORGOT to mention it and now the Whippet had eaten it! Miss Fancy on the other hand - you wouldn't believe the ordeal we went through with her first tooth, weeks and weeks of lead up time, days of not eating while it was hanging from a thread before I was finally allowed to flick it out so she could experience the tooth fairy in all her glory. Did I mention the polishing of the tooth...you get the picture!

At that point Miss Fancy comes inside and decides to add her 2c worth: "I wonder if the tooth fairy will come on the first night or the second night? Probably the first night because she knows where we live now, doesn't she mum? And Blue Eyes, because it's your first tooth you get a little present too, doesn't he mum? Don't worry Blue Eyes I'll write her a letter too so she knows the Whippet ate the tooth and that's why we don't have it anymore".

Another revelation - I'm such a bad Tooth Fairy! It's true, the Tooth Fairy does tend to come to our household on the second night. For some unknown reason, by the time we decide to go to bed, The Piano Man and I just seem to forget to put the coin in the tooth pillow. We were able to explain it away last year with the fact that we had moved from Tasmania to Sydney and the Tooth Fairy got a bit confused or had to travel some distance. But I know she wouldn't buy that one anymore.

I pour another drink and ponder the pressure of remembering this step tonight. I tell the other adults to remind me. I also mentally search the house for any unopened gifts I might have, which is usually NEVER. But it so happened that I bought some racing car pens the day before at Mathilda's Markets and I hadn't given them to the kids yet. Perfect. I might just be able to redeem myself.



The First Tooth
The Tooth Fairy Pillow that was mine as a child - made by my Texan Grandma
Racing Car Pen



Tell me, is anyone else out there a 'bad' Tooth Fairy too?



18 comments :

  1. I was a hopeless tooth fairy ... but my four kids all seem to have grown up into a pretty well adjusted bunch, so I wouldn't let it bother you too much ;)

    As to the whippet, you gave me my first real giggle of the day (and it's shaping up to be a grotty day so it was a welcome giggle). We have five whippets ... they'd have all been trying to eat it ... forget tooth, there were cracker crumbs attached !!

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  2. Love it! I am the WORST tooth fairy. She is known as the Tardy Fairy in our house because she is always, always late. She gets lost a lot, that fairy. Love your blog!

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  3. Stumbled upon you from Mrs. Bok's place. You've your hands full! How fun!

    -Accidental Farm-Girl

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  4. That pen is awesome - totally worth losing a tooth! And I don't have any kids, but I would probably also forget to leave the present. Good idea w/the moving explanation!

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  5. A tooth fairy that delivers to a tooth pillow that had been handed down a generation is s very fine tooth fairy indeed.

    I believe that tooth fairy is late to aaaall the houses she visits so I wouldn't worry zbout that! Last tooth she panicked at our place and gave the child 20 lots of 5c when no gold coins could be found. She was a hit! x

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  6. We have yet to experience the tooth fairy in our house. We unless you count that bad movie with the Rock in it with the same name. We were at the newsagents the following week and my daughter started telling me that she had found the tooth fairy. I walked over to find her looking at wrestling mags...

    I hadn't heard of a tooth fairy pillow. That is an awesome idea. I might just have to make one for the kids to use one day (hopefully not soon, my eldest is almost 5)

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  7. Hahaaaaa!!!! Your post made me laugh! Glad it was just his tooth coming out in its timely fashion :)
    That racing car pen is fantastic...you don't know the seller's name do you? I know some boys that would love them!!

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  8. Thanks for all your lovely comments.

    Mrs Bok, there is no brand or markings whatsoever on the pen - strange! It is very cool though isn't it? Of all the gorgeous handmade things I could have got at Mathilda's Markets I picked these (probably) mass produced pens for the boys. I got them from a stall that sold stationary. Sorry I don't know the name. I will be back there 4 December if you can wait that long..I would like to stock up on them for little gifts.

    xx

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  9. I haven't had a gig as the tooth fairy as yet! I am dreading it. Do I need to get a little pillow? Geez. I better gear up. Nugget has to lose a tooth soon (he's six). Right?

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  10. Yay, fellow mother of 4 with twins (in the middle) & absolutely, terrible tooth fairy, let me count the ways . . . taking money from their money box to pay for the tooth (i said terrible) . . . coming days after the tooth has been waiting . . . one child swallowed a tooth & tooth fairy didn't show up so i said perhaps there is a "no tooth, no fee" clause & she came home from school & said "there is mum, i asked around, everyone has swallowed at least one tooth each & never got paid by the tooth fairy" . . . but i can top them all with a story from my friend whose child lost a tooth & got a gold coin donation, then the overbearing Italian mother-in-law found out & slipped the child $20!! Yep!! So from then on my friend suggested she leave any lost teeth at Nonna's house & the children start buying their own toys. If you can't beat them, join them right??
    Enjoy your life back in Tasmania, Sydney is where we were born & bred (our children in Darwin) & we're settling in Canberra, a nice balance between them. Love Posie

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  11. Hi MultipleMum, no you don't need a little pillow, relax. It's just me, I also have a little wooden box that they can use. I'm obsessed with old and vintage and handmade things. But what do others use I wonder? A glass? Or nothing at all? 6-7 is normal age I think but my kids are determined to rob me of their childhood - everything is done slightly earlier than the norm!

    Hi Posie, thanks for your comments - love it! Great to meet another mum of 4 with twins. I've always wondered what it would be like to have a single baby after twins.........have you written about that?

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  12. I was laughing out loud (ok, I snorted!)
    about Remy eating the tooth!

    The tooth fairy ALWAYS comes to our house on the second night, that way the kids can show and tell the tooth and the tooth fairy has another day to get her act together!!

    aargh

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  13. Love it Naomi - The Considerate Tooth Fairy!!

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  14. Our tooth fairy came 3 days late last time. She finally left a note of apology stating she got her underpants wet each night due to the rain and had to go home to change them. Thank Goodness for the rain!

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  15. Wow a present and money that is a generous tooth fairy. We do not have kisd yet so all this fun is yet to come.

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  16. Back via the Rewind. I loved this post! I can't believe you were surprised...

    x

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  17. I just read your return comment (thanks for the advice). After this post I checked my school photos. No teeth missing until 3rd Grade! Nugget could have a while to wait. I need to talk chickens with you. They way we are going we might be able to take yours off your hands! Thanks for Rewinding x

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  18. I am a terrible tooth fairy.

    I am laughing so hard that the Whippet ate a tooth.

    Love your revelations.

    (And thank you for linking up to the Weekend Rewind!)

    xx

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