“Daaaaaadeeeee! D-A-D-D-D-Y!” echoed across the hallway along with the sound of tiny hands tugging at the metal knob that was meant to open doors, but to our two year old, still meant life in prison.
Immediately awake, I lifted my head slightly, secretly delighted but also slightly sad that the little dude needed his father at three a.m. for once. A quick swat later, Daddy sprung into action to see what the happenings were down the hall, lingering a bit too long at the armoire in search of a tee, likely waiting for it to pass before he sauntered down. Though I don’t know much of what happened next, I do remember the next morning when I tapped on the door to wake our son and was promptly greeted with:
“The TOOTH FAIRY! She tried to GET ME!”
You can imagine at seven a.m. how a parent could grapple between sharing that she doesn’t exist, alerting him she’s not actually scary but instead drop prizes beneath your pillow or finally, to just go ahead and tell her to go away next time she dropped by – none of these being great options. Instead, I opted for the smile and nod with empathy and listening ears approach:
“Oh, the Tooth Fairy? She tried to get you?! Tell me more about that…”
Little did I know this diatribe would go on for days, the story of how she was “scary,” yet brought “treats while we sleep,” yet also “steals teeth.” Don’t even ask me where these important life lessons came from. Heck, “T,” or “F” were not even the letter of the week at pre-school…
And so it goes as the sun sets below the horizon, the nightstand lamp is dimmed and he’s prepared to tuck in tight that we discuss:
“That Tooth Fairy. She’s not going to get me. Mommy and Daddy keep me safe.”
So if you see this lady of the night, tell her to back off, will ya?
We all need a couple more hours of sleep around here. Though we could use a bit of that money she leaves…
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