My son is a wee little guy. Aside from being a cute ball of love, he saves us a ton of cash by rocking the same sizes for years at a time. Needless to say, his physical development proceeds not at a soaring pace. So when all of his cohorts began losing their teeth, we spent a fair bit of time prepping our little dude to wait it out for the long haul; the Tooth Fairy might be more of a future visitor than a present.
But lo and behold, a couple months ago we met up with our first wiggle. EXCITEMENT!!! All hands on deck. Tug the Tooth was secured and placed at the ready. Nightly checks for wiggle progress commenced. Christmas festivities be darned; in our house, potential tooth loss was The Occasion.
We were ready for this tooth.
And then it happened.
My son, in his bumbling, fumbling bus-exiting explosion greeted me one day post-school with the words, “I lost my tooth at school today.” Yay! “Wa-hoo, buddy! Let’s see it!”
“No, mom, I lost it. Everyone looked for it really hard, but we couldn’t find it.”
Screech!
Okay, so by lost he meant lost.
“But it’s okay, mom. I have a note we can give to the Tooth Fairy so she’ll understand.”
Oh be still my mama’s heart…what?!?
Yes, yes. My child actually had a verified note from his teacher addressed directly to the Tooth Fairy. Have I mentioned I love his teacher? I do. So very much. Check her perfection below:
Right, I know. She rocks.
I heard from another class mom that the kids indeed searched for my love’s missing tooth extensively. To no avail.
What is a mama of a first-time tooth-looser to do? ACCEPT.
Yup, you heard me. Zen it out, friends, and channel that acceptance. First child, first tooth, baby book and fancy cute lost tooth holder at the ready?
Screw it. Screw it all.
You see, this life is abundantly full of things to teach us. At every turn, at every pass, if we only dare to look. And my son’s lost lost tooth scenario was only too clear evidence of this.
I might have easily thrown a fit and protested the tragedy of no first first lost tooth to keepsake. Instead, I raised my glass to the irony and thanked God for fitting my son with a teacher who had a heart big enough to write a personalized note to the Tooth Fairy in the midst of her incredibly over-filled day.
What really mattered at this moment in time? That my son was in the care of a teacher who cared about him. That he was loved enough by his classmates for them to be willing to crawl around on the floor in search of a tiny tooth. That he was six years old and lost a tooth! The events of this life merit celebration in and of themselves, you know.
We might mourn all that is lost in this life; God knows I’ve done that enough. But we might also take a minute to see what we have and be grateful, most simply, for what is in front of us.
What is in front of me? A very empty first tooth treasure box and a heart very full of gratitude. I’ll take them both, in their imperfect perfection.
Go get your own imperfect perfection, however it rolls out, friends. It’s such a beautiful thing!
First image credit: depositphotos.com, image ID:8845778, copyright:zurijeta
Last image credit: depositphotos.com, image ID:91481114, copyright:soleg
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Janine Huldie says
I remember when this happened and you shared on Facebook. We are still waiting for my older daughter’s first tooth to fall out here and nothing yet. But I love the lesson you learned here definitely sounds like your son’s teacher is an amazing lady.
kathyradigan says
Janine I love this lesson too!! What a blessing to both Meredith and her son to have such a wonderful teacher!
Sam says
That sweet note is just as memorable a keepsake!
kathyradigan says
Sam it really is something he will always remember!