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Why I feel like a crappy parent #3,716

August 27, 2014 by admin

Yesterday, my five-year-old lost his first tooth. It had been loose for weeks. But yesterday, somewhere between eating Orange Leaf frozen yogurt for lunch and later, Goldfish crackers for a snack, it was gone. I know what you’re thinking about my food choices right now and that’s your prerogative, but it’s not the point.

The point is my five-year-old was practically crapping his pants with joy that the tooth fairy would come, as she had so many times for his older 9-year-old brother.

I am responsible for Tooth Fairy duty, a noble job. Only, it seems that I am not very good at it. I could blame it on the newborn, who doesn’t sleep and induces extreme exhaustion, but that wouldn’t explain this little episode, in which the “Tooth Fairy” forgot for not one, but two nights in a row, to put something under my oldest child’s pillow.

So when I hear the heavy footsteps of my 9-year-old climbing down from the top bunk, then the light clicking on and the scolding voice, “Moooommmmm, Colin didn’t  get anything,” my heart simply sank.

Half asleep, Colin sleep-yells from under his covers, “The tooth fairy didn’t come!”

F*ck. F*ck F*ck F*ck.

In my defense, last night I did buy a pack of Pokemon cards, the coveted item my son had hoped the Tooth Fairy would bring, and this morning, in a moment of desperation, I thought maybe I would sneak them under my pillow and yell from my room that the Tooth Fairy had made a mistake, his present was under MY pillow.

But then, what type of self-respecting Tooth Fairy would fly in, see a couple of sleeping adults, and think to herself, “Yes, this must be the place.” At least not one that services an area so far north of the Mason-Dixon line.

My only saving grace was that my son had swallowed his tooth and, because I wasn’t here to supervise, had not written a note explaining his predicament. I assured him this morning that if he writes a note today, the Tooth Fairy will surely come tonight. But really, isn’t that a little anti-climactic? Isn’t that like Santa Claus bringing presents after all the post-holiday sales have started? Like the Easter Bunny leaving rotten eggs?

Husband thinks I am being too dramatic about the whole situation, but these are the types of things that pull at my heartstrings.

This morning, I am the world’s crappiest parent.


4 Comments »

  1. ginny says:

    You are just two funny, I love to read your blog, you bring subject to life!!

  2. Katrina Salka says:

    I can’t tell you how many times the tooth fairy forgot to stop and leave something for my kids, or how bad my husband and I both felt for neglecting our duties. But we’ve come up with a plethora of excuses: she was caught in fairy traffic, we’re on vacation and she couldn’t find us, she was at the beach/skiing/mountain climbing, etc. But now that we only have 1 kid to worry about, our 12-year-old has agreed to help us out.

  3. Christine j says:

    Great post! I just listened to a ted talk about the importance of admitting mistakes, so I think you get extra points for messing up the tooth fairy prize and talking about it publicly!

  4. admin says:

    Thanks Christine!

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