Tuesday, February 26, 2008

That Stingy Tooth Fairy

This is a lovely picture of my vampire, Mitchell. He bravely had 4 (FOUR) of his top teeth 'extracted'. Which is the expensive way of saying the dentist pulled them out with a pair of pliers like the kind you would find in your garage. But if you said it like that the dentist couldn't charge as much, I think.
Mitch's front teeth have not been pretty for awhile. Perhaps it was the fact that we let him sleep with a baby bottle full of root beer for the last five years. What's wrong with that?! Actually he just has crappy teeth. Pardon my French. He already has fillings on his back teeth and the dentist wanted to crown his front teeth but then we couldn't afford the next several decades of Christmas and opted to go for the gap tooth look. But that isn't the point of this post. Here is the point: How much moolah does the Tooth Fairy leave at your house?


As a young child I recall several Tooth Fairy deposits. And let me tell you that none of them consisted of anything over a dollar. They were usually just random coins TF probably found in the couch cushions. But did I mind?? No sirree! Money is money, right? So I have attempted to emulate that. Ike has lost 3 teeth thus far and each time received a nice variety of coins. And he's been OK with that. But now I hear from other kids and parents and the dentist how huge amounts of cash are being left on pillows. What if my kids get wind of how they are being discriminated against? That their teeth are worth less than other children's? (well, Mitch's probably are..)
And we did have the dilemma with Mitch having 4 teeth in one night. I hated to actually go over the dollar limit and even tried to persuade hub that the kids' math skills weren't at a level where they could divide by 4 and realize how little each tooth was getting. But thankfully for our children, he is a little more generous and convinced me to up the ante. The compromise was that we still used coins but Mitch got 2 gold dollars and a quarter.
Be honest. Am I too cheap? Or was I just really deprived as a child? Or is there a different amount for each tooth? And in case you were worried about my other children's dental health--Ike and Ethan have consistently cavity-free dental visits. They must not drink Root Beer at night.


6 comments:

hOLLIANN said...

Once again- very funny. My dad just told us that the tooth fairy wasn't real, and lumped that in with the Easter Bunny and Santa. Don't worry, I got him back. I told all the Kindergarten kids the next day, and they sent me home with a nasty "you're in trouble" note pinned to the back of my shirt (Of course the back because I couldn't reach it, and since I was such a naughty kid my notes would never make it home pinned on the front).

cold cocoa said...

I know- it's always the comparison issue. TF gave Anika a quarter and a dime or two and that was fine for us and her- but she took it to school to show friends and teacher! So that is when I had second thoughts. But little is always better when they're young, right?

Sherie Christensen said...

The tooth fairy at our house leaves a dollar -- but it might take the Molanator a good week or two to finally show up so the kids have to be really patient. The amounts were different when our first kids were young but we finally went for a nice even number.

Rhonda Can't Help You said...

I never got anything over a quarter. And THAT has made me the miser I am today. Do with that what you wish.

hOLLIANN said...

My sister just told me the funniest story--Her little girl lost her tooth at Disneyland...they forgot to leave money...she said I will help you search for it...oh it is here on the floor...she dropped money...whoops it was a $20...Oh crud...this is her first tooth...how am I to afford the rest.

The Allreds said...

We usually forget to leave money...we need training for this TF thing-thus Sara has ended up with MORE than the tooth is really worth. Guess it works to her favor! I think $1 is a must so they can at least shop at the Dollar Store with their hidden treasure! Mom and Dad have to spot 6 or 7 cents at that anyhow! : )