Every boy, all three of them, was missing a front tooth.
I immediately exclaimed over their missing dentition and asked the usual questions about their visit from the Tooth Fairy. One Tooth Fairy was so excited, she left ten bucks! The other moms were fondly beaming at their progeny as all of our boys ran over to their coach to begin camp. I smiled along with them. I was silently suffering Mom Envy, however.
Zane still has all of his baby teeth. I felt just horrible about that.
It is ridiculously silly, I thought. To feel bad that my kid hasn't lost any teeth yet. But losing the first tooth is a big milestone of childhood. Huge. Colossal. The official end of Babyhood. The Gateway to the next stage of development. I have only vague and hazy memories of losing my own teeth, so I did the geek thing and read about it. I purchased a book for Zane about losing teeth, and read it to him, so he wouldn't be scared when a tooth fell out. Any day now, it would happen, I thought. I was ready.
That was last year. Or two.
I didn't think for a moment that Zane would be the very first to lose a tooth. Half of his kindergarten class lost various teeth during the past year, and I didn't blink an eye. I had no fantasies of lording it over the other moms that MY child was first to receive a visit from the Tooth Fairy. No dance was prepared, no banner rolled up and waiting in the closet. I just wanted it to happen, and I didn't want Zane to be last. After the circumstances of his birth, there will always be a possibility that a milestone or two will be delayed. I know that. I just didn't want it to be this particular milestone. I can't even articulate why I felt that way, only that it punched me in the gut when I saw all of those gap toothed smiles. Maybe I had vague aspirations of my role as the Tooth Fairy, or perhaps I wanted my son to experience something that can be traumatic as something wonderful instead.
But these things happen when they happen. There is no rushing it, the truth is that I have to let go of my need to control everything, even the Tooth Fairy. Life makes up its own timetable, and I just have to trust that it will happen, whenever that may be. Sitting in my chair on the sidelines, I just decided to get over myself.
The Tooth Fairy can wait.
So I wrote all this, got it out of my system, and now Zane has a loose tooth. Barely loose, but enough for him to notice. Tooth Watch 2014 has begun.
Great story!
ReplyDeletemy boys are always the last to lose any teeth. in fact my near 12 year old has only lost 8 while all his friends have all permanents by now. my 9 year old has lost only 4 and my 6 and 1/2 year old none. i say, the longer the baby teeth are there, the less time you have to screw up the big teeth.
ReplyDeleteYou'll have to write an update when it finally comes out! I'm dreading this milestone for my almost-kindergartener! I don't like how big he's getting. It's too fast.
ReplyDeleteI love your postscript. It cheered me up.
ReplyDeleteMy kids are such late teeth getters (14 months for their first tooth!), they probably won't lose a tooth until their 10! I loved your post
ReplyDeleteNice post. I fondly remember those days. By the last tooth, though, my younger one was pretty old (don't remember the age) and didn't believe anymore, so I didn't bother, and he ended up sheepishly asking where his dollar was.
ReplyDeleteMy little soon-to-be Kindergartener was late getting his first tooth. Like he was 7 months when the first one finally peeked through (and it freaked me out by being the top tooth, not a bottom tooth like his older brother got). I'm wondering if this will make him a bit later in losing the first tooth.
ReplyDeleteYoungest still has (at 12) four of his babies left. He just had FIVE baby teeth pulled to make an easier path for his adult teeth (one was in the way of adult roots, another caused the adult tooth to spin and come in behind the baby) And even after all his lack of brushing, they are healthier because they took so long to come in. Best part? While he was sitting in envy of his older brother who was losing two in a day... HE lost his first tooth while waiting in line to see the Statue of Liberty in NYC... and you know, because everything cost more in NYC, he got $5. :)
ReplyDeleteWiggle, wiggle!!! Our issue wasn't a delay in loose teeth, it was how long it took for anyone o muster up the courage to yank those bad boys out of there! I remember my father offering my daughter $20 once, as we were leaving to come home, for her to pull her tooth...so that my son wouldn't have to watch the dangling spectacle the whole 4 hour drive home...she didn't!
ReplyDeletebuild it and they will come? congrats on the loose tooth, Zane.
ReplyDeleteYou should make up something totally insane to be proud of instead. Like, "my kid just stood on the porch railing and whizzed at least 9 feet. It was awesome!" ha ha kidding. I would love to hear the follow up story when he does lose his first tooth! :)
ReplyDeleteAw, I remember being the last in class to lose teeth. I can still picture the pulling, twisting sensation when that tooth got loose enough to rotate all the way around....
ReplyDeleteAw, kids. You want them to hit those milestones, then when they do it's wistfully sad.
ReplyDeleteMy son finally lost his at about 7 1/2. I knew kids who were 5 who were losing them, so I admit I asked the dentist if something was up. Apparently it's a really long window for losing them. Who knew? Very true about our lack of control, isn't it?
ReplyDeleteI SO feel you! My son just FINALLY lost his first. He desperately wanted it to happen before first grade ended and it happened for him. I honestly think it bothered me more than him ;) We were both happy when that sucker finally popped out (with a little help from mom and some floss). It will happen when it happens.
ReplyDeleteSo my kid starting losing teeth right after he turned four. His other teeth had already grown in behind the lose ones. It FREAKED me out. Later I learned that they were called "Shark Teeth." Lordy, we get so attached to the outcomes of our children, huh? I reckon that's the love!
ReplyDeleteYeah!!! A loose tooth! My son ground his baby teeth (he's always been an anxious one). The more you grind, the tighter those suckers hold on. It was a while. From that point on, when a tooth was loose he'd play and wriggle it until it came out that night. The TF was never prepared. There were malfunctions in the system! Have fun!
ReplyDeleteGood lesson for all of us, about the need to control.
ReplyDelete