My six year old walked into my bedroom this morning with his head down low and tears streaming down his face. I knew instantly what my husband and I had forgotten to do! We forgot to be the tooth fairy!!
Still crying, he gave me the details of this devastating event...the tooth fairy took the tooth but she hadn't left anything. I stood there frozen.
Don't panic...don't panic. What do I do? What do I do?
Luckily it was early enough in the morning that I was able to talk him into coming into my bed for a few more minutes before the alarm went off. I told him that I would go investigate the situation.
I literally grew a cape as I sprang into action like a super-hero! I was freakishly fast and surprisingly sneaky. I wish I would have clocked how quickly all of this took place...
With the lights off, I ran into the his bedroom and found the baggie with the tooth in it at the bottom of the bed. Score!
I'm pretty sure I flew down the stairs. Grabbed a wrinkled dollar bill out of my purse. Scribbled a quick note on a random piece of paper. Flew back upstairs and stuffed it in inside the pillow case in order to give a reason why he couldn't find it.
Realizing that I didn't know where I put the baggie with the tooth in it, I flew back downstairs. Found it on the counter. Stuffed it in my purse. Flew back upstairs just as my son was coming out of my bedroom...head still down low.
Think...think...what do I say? What do I tell him? Ah Ha! It came to me...
"I was just checking the tooth fairy's website and I found out that sometimes when little boys and girls have trouble finding their money and note, they've discovered it inside their pillow case. Let's go check."
He bought it. Total super-hero moment!
He quickly ran into his room, and sure enough he found his note and dollar bill "lost" inside his pillow case.
"No wonder I couldn't find it!" he shouts. "Good thing that website told us where to look." His face just beamed!
I was such a proud momma! Then it hit me. Although I was quite pleased with my abilities to think on my feet first thing in the morning and I was thrilled that my boy didn't start his day off so sad and disappointed, I realized what a teachable moment this could have been. Instead of rushing around trying to "save the day", why couldn't I have taken the time to hug him and discuss with him possible reasons why the tooth fairy wasn't able to make it? Maybe there was a blizzard? Maybe she was sick? Maybe she even forgot?
As disappointing as it would have been for him, isn't that what life is all about? Learning how to overcome disappointment...learning how to make the best out of a situation...learning that there are sometimes circumstances beyond our control...learning how to give love, grace, and understanding towards others?
Yes, I saved the day, but maybe I shouldn't have. What do you think?
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