Sacred Object

My son is an amazing person. He is kind, sensitive, thoughtful. He will make someone very happy one day. He can also be slow at doing things. OK, I'll say it. He is like molasses. Even the process of losing his teeth has been a slow one. Not that he has any control over that, it is just par for the course for him.

Initially I was concerned about the fact that at age 9 (in 2 weeks), he has only lost 4 teeth. I asked the dentist, but he assured me that the order in which he is losing his teeth is more important than the pace in which they are lost. What a relief.

When a tooth IS loose, it is a joyous occasion for the family. Gage knows the tooth fairy will be coming, Maura starts wiggling her teeth so she can get some money from the tooth fairy and Jim and I know that our kid is on his way to having all his adult teeth.

The funny thing is that even though Gage knows that a windfall is coming his way, he does nothing to speed up the loosening process. He is one of those people that doesn't pick. I, on the other hand am a BIG picker. If he has a scab, a nail that is hanging on by a thread or in this case, a loose tooth, he treats them as sacred objects. He will not touch them. It's so bizarre to me.

Yesterday I received a call from the school nurse. We are on a first name basis now as we chat A LOT. She informed me that Gage's loose tooth was bleeding and that maybe it was time to lose it. Really??? Ya' think??? Please empathize. My son will not let me go near his mouth. He is afraid of the pain. Puulease....I birthed 3 children. You don't know pain, kid.

Anyway, I digress. When Gage arrived home, the first thing he reported was that his tooth bled at school. I asked if I could pull it for him and then all this nonsense would be over and he could cash it in. I tried to convince him for 20 minutes before giving up. After dinner, I broached the subject again. This time, I asked if I could just look at it. Shame on him for trusting me. I grabbed it and pulled. He shrieked for a moment and then presto - it was out.

He ran downstairs, proud as could be announcing the tooth was out. He carefully wrapped the tooth in a tissue and left it on the kitchen table to be placed under his pillow later. Apparently, our dog Lulu did not get the memo about the sacred swap with the tooth fairy. She jumped up on the table and ate the precious tooth.

Sorry...but I am still laughing.

And for those of you wondering, the tooth fairy DOES deliver even when the tooth is eaten.