"The Tooth of a Smart Girl"

This was the letter I had to write to my daughter's kindergarten teacher, Mrs Bell, after my conversation with my six year old.


Dear Mrs. Bell
As you know, Meg lost her tooth at school today. She didn't bring it home cause, "it was somewhere special.." Where? "I'm not telling!" Okay. Later I got it out of her, she put it in the SHARE box.

I asked, "Was it in a bag?"

"Nope, I just put it on my paper about our family broken bones."

"Did you tape it to the paper?"

"MOM! I told you I put it ON the paper!"

"Yes, but did you secure it somehow? Mrs. Bell won't know it's there and when she picks up the paper, that teeny, tiny tooth will go flying and could hurt somebody."

"Mrs. Bell always picks up paper very gently and slowly!"

"Okay, but did you TELL Mrs. Bell you put your tooth there?"

"She'll SEE it when she picks up my paper!!  Dah!"

It's so weird to think I have a little girl that can say things like 'Dah?'  I can't explain to her.  Meg is her own girl.  The tooth fairy will wait for her to find it and if it's gone, there will be tears but I'll tell her the fairy will know she lost a tooth cause there's a gap when she smiles.  Then one day she'll know how much I lied to her.  Nice.