Kimball Traditions- The Tooth Fairy

Traditions.  Such a wonderful part of any family.  Whether big or small, traditions help unite generations, mark moments in time, and provide a connection to warm family memories for years to come.  I am particularly attached to tradition.  From the time I was a kid, traditional moments dot my reminiscing.  After being picked up from camp, we ALWAYS stopped at this little store for a snack and a potty stop.  Once I got older, started working at the camp all summer and that little store burned down, the tradition became a Saturday evening trip to Dr. Munchie's pizza every weekend.  Our Christmas tree was decorated every year on the Friday after Thanksgiving, and we burst into "It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas" at the VERY first glimpse of Christmas lights as the season got started.

Once I had children of my own, I of course continued many traditions and established new ones.  As a new, young mother of two, I took my kids to each new Disney movie, on the first day of release.  Preferably the first showing.  I continued decorating the tree on Friday after Thanksgiving, until Bethanie was born, on December 7th.  For a while, I decided to respectfully wait until after her birthday to do it, but have since become a little more fluid with that date.  We buy each of the kids a Hallmark ornament at Christmas and write a little inscription on the inside lid.  My Mom sent my ornaments with me to decorate my first tree, and I will do the same for my kids.

Over the years, as we've added more children to the Kimball brood, it's easy to see how some traditions, started innocently and easily with just 1-2 kids, can get VERY out-of-hand when you have a large family.  Today's example is the Tooth Fairy.   Of course, the Tooth Fairy serves every family, whether you have 1 kid or 18, but because she knows every family is unique and special, she tailors her tooth-retrieval service to the specific needs of the family.  At least that's the story in our house.  When Alex and Bethanie were little and the only kids on the horizon for this very ambitious mother, the Tooth Fairy delivered a BEAUTIFUL bookstore-quality book complete with inscription, AND a crisp $5 bill.  Yes, over-the-top..but who cares.  The Tooth Fairy loves books, and knows my kids love books, and so she aims to please.  The baby teeth days are fleeting, so my arrangement with the Dental Queen was something to be cherished and celebrated.

Many years later, as Casadie began to lose her teeth and the Tooth Fairy would again be visiting the Kimball household, I stopped short, and quickly counted the number of baby teeth this Enamel-Wrangler would be picking up from our home in the next several years.  4 more girls, 7-8 teeth apiece (how many baby teeth do kids lose, exactly? I've lost count!) Speaking conservatively, we're talking $150 bucks and a veritable library of top-shelf Newberry Award Winners.  The Barnes and Noble CEO should be sending flowers to our house.  Bill hopelessly suggested (he never had a chance) cutting the cash back to $1 and buying paperbacks, but I said the Lady of Floss could afford $5, 2-3 times per year.  He sighed, rolled his eyes lovingly (I swear), and drove me to the bookstore to make a few selections. (The Chomper Collector treasures and uses Mom's suggestions when she delivers the books, of course.)

Casadie has been working on her top two teeth, which have REALLY taken their time.  I was worried that an Oral Surgeon might be needed to help these along, and that given her age of 7, she might be close to abandoning her belief in the Princess of Plaque.  But, once the tooth came out yesterday, the debate as to where to put the tooth, which bed to sleep in (we really have a musical beds thing going on over here lately..with bunk beds in two different rooms and sisters who like to switch loyalties and alliances..a long story for another day), began in earnest. 

Any doubts I may have harbored, ie "will the kids REALLY remember this as a cherished tradition, or is this Queen of Gleam just wasting her money?" was absolutely dispelled this morning, when Casadie marched downstairs, grinning a toothless smile ear-to-ear, and clutching a large book under her arm, "Zen Shorts."  

"Mommy! Look what the Tooth Fairy brought me!"  She showed me the book with the beautiful water-color illustrations, and read the, may I say, very touching inscription to me.
"That looks wonderful!" I replied, "have you read it yet?"
"No, not yet.  I want to get Library Mouse, & the Marshmallow Incident first. I haven't found them yet."

Mom very confused: "Why do you need those books first?"

Casadie "Well, those were the first and second books the Tooth Fairy ever gave me.  I want to read them in order before I start Zen Shorts.  The Tooth Fairy always gives me such beautiful books."


A Mother's silly indulgences completely validated in the wise and wonderful words of a 7 year old, who is losing her baby teeth kind of late.  She still believes in the magic, and I am absolutely proud and excited to provide it to her.

Rock on, Tooth Fairy.