First Visits from the Tooth Fairy

Oliver has been wiggling one of his bottom teeth loose for what seemed like weeks. And despite the super advanced notice we had to tip off the Tooth Fairy, when his tooth finally came out, Chris and I were still caught by surprise.

I immediately texted friends with kids who've recently lost teeth to inquire about the going rate. I didn't think the quarter I received in my youth was going to cut it anymore. Was five dollars or even ten dollars appropriate I wanted to know? They reminded me that setting the expectation that high would get expensive for someone with four children who each have 20 teeth (well, except for Matteo with his 18...). I quickly did the math and realized that I could end up shelling out $400 - $800 for teeth. Instead they suggested something special like a silver dollar or a two-dollar bill, neither of which I had as Oliver's bedtime quickly approached. Thankfully one friend followed up her suggestion with admitting that she is usually unprepared and has resorted to digging through the change jar on her kitchen counter.

Chris actually had a couple silver dollars had gotten from the change machine at a light rail station and was able to slip two under Oliver's pillow that night. A parenting win for once. And Oliver woke up the next morning thrilled to discover the tooth fairy had left him "gold" and asked me what the going rate for gold was so he could figure out how many Legos he could buy. (Seriously, where does he learn this stuff?)

Oliver quickly lost his second tooth just a few days later and feeling a little more on top of my game, not only did he receive more "gold," but the Tooth Fairy even left him a note. My brother hand-wrote a letter thanking Oliver for another tooth for her collection and reminding him to keep up the good work brushing a flossing. I don't know how much impact my attempt will have at using fairies to promote positive reinforcement of oral hygiene, but Oliver loved getting the letter.