The Old Pro

Dan, Andre, and I were in the kitchen talking about how much money the Tooth Fairy brings. Andre was shocked by the 10 quarters the twins received, especially because Bethie didn't even lose a tooth. I explained to Andre that the money from the Tooth Fairy goes back into the piggy bank under the pretense that the children have to save for their university education (yeah, I'm fun like that!), and then it gets recycled for the next go 'round.

Bethie came into the kitchen and asked if we were talking about the second tooth that Katie lost. I explained to my confused little cherub that Katie has only lost one tooth. Katie rushed into the kitchen and said that she has lost two teeth! I looked into her mouth and, sure enough, another tooth was missing.

Ta da:

Did I react calmly to this news? Not so much! I absolutely freaked out. One tooth falling out is fine. The twins are at that age. But two teeth within days of each other? That's too much! I was convinced that Katie had suffered some sort of trauma to her face. Or perhaps she had gum disease (although she reassured me that she didn't because she doesn't chew gum). I was desperate to call the dentist before another tooth fell out.

Dan was laughing, which I didn't find very helpful. He asked, "What are you going to say to the dentist? My five year old had a loose tooth and then it fell out?". Ummm...yeah! When I was a kid, I remember that I would get a loose tooth and would have to wiggle it forever before it came out. And they never just fell out of my mouth like leaves falling from a tree!

I called Mum. She didn't seem too concerned, which irritated me. No one seemed to understand that it was possible for the children to have their teeth fall out for entirely different reasons. No one else seemed to consider that this problem should be nipped in the bud instead of waiting for Katie to lose all of her teeth. While on the phone with Mum, Dan said, "What are you going to do? Are you going to call a thousand parents of five year old children and asked them if this is normal?". That hadn't occurred to me. But it was a good idea. I didn't need to call "a thousand" parents, just one.

I called Lisa. Who, though laughing hysterically, was very sympathetic. She asked, "Did I ever tell you about the time Trystan lost his first tooth?". No, she hadn't. Lisa has lots of helpful little stories that she keeps tucked away and doesn't tell me until after I have gone crazy. Lisa enjoys the crazy.

Anyway, the story goes that Trystan lost his first tooth one night after his bath. Lisa was slightly annoyed because she didn't have any change in her purse. She raced downstairs, called her husband, and told him to stop at the bank on his way home from work. She did a quick look around, and found enough change for the Tooth Fairy. So, she called her husband back and told him that he could skip the bank. Lisa then went back upstairs, and Trystan produced a second tooth! Did Lisa panic? Did she worry that her little angel was going to lose every tooth he had in the next 10 minutes? Did she check for gum disease or trauma? No. She was very annoyed. She didn't have enough change on hand for two teeth! She had to call her husband, once again, and instruct him to go to the bank.

Lessons learned:

1. Dan is not very helpful in a crisis situation,
2. No matter how upsetting a situation is, Lisa has already lived through it, and kept it a secret. She is like a vault of parenting information that only opens when asked direct questions!

Now, here's the worst bit: I checked Bethie's teeth, and she has a lose tooth. Ahhh! Why does everything happen at once?! The stress is unbelievable!

Here's a snap of Bethie with all of her teeth:

Hopefully, she will be good enough not to lose her teeth in rapid secession.