The death of illusion (2007-06-26)

(Originally posted on Tuesday, 26 June 2007.)

On Tuesday evening, Giggles’s loose tooth was very, very loose. She kept pushing it around with her fingers and tongue, and complaining when it hurt. I told her if Laoye were here, he’d tie a string around it and pull it out so fast she wouldn’t feel a thing.

“Really? Would it hurt?"

“Only for a second.”

“No, I don’t want to do that!”

So she kept wiggling it and feeling it, until finally, while I was brushing my teeth in preparation for bed, it came out. And then:

“Mommy, is the tooth fairy real?”

“What do you think?” My favourite answer when responding to a question that might require revealing an awful truth…

“I think she’s pretend.”

“Why?”

“How does she get the money under my pillow? What does she do with the teeth?”

“Oh, she’s magic. She waits until you’re asleep and then, bingo! She slides the money under the pillow.”

“But what about the teeth? Where does she put them?”

“Maybe she grinds them up for fertilizer. Or recycles them – you know, like in the Junie B. story where Junie’s little brother gets the new tooth.”

“No! Mommy, tell me really!!!”

Long pause while I consider. Do I or don’t I? If she doesn’t hear it from me, one of these days it’ll come from the schoolyard playmates.

I look at her. “You want to know the truth?”

“Yes!!”

“The truth is, the tooth fairy is pretend.”

“I thought so!” Pause. “But how does the money get under my pillow?”

“Okay, I put it there. I’m the tooth fairy.”

A downcast look. “I wish the tooth fairy was real.”

“I’m real, aren’t I? I’m a real pretend tooth fairy.”

“Mommy!”



I can hardly wait for Christmas.