Two Front Teeth

Sorry for the poor quality of the picture.  It was taken with my iPod touch, and I probably need to try to clean the lens.  

But YAY!!  Sophie finally lost her other front tooth.  It had been hanging there all snaggletooth-like since the first one came out, so I am extremely glad that it is finally gone!

She now has a special love of the song "All I Want for Christmas is My Two Front Teeth".  Darling.  I can't wait to see if she leaves a note for the tooth fairy.   Hopefully the tooth fairy remembers to come.  For some reason, she seems to forget a lot...  Until the unhappy child comes to my room in the morning complaining that the tooth fairy didn't come...  again.

Ugh.

Sometimes I really wonder why on earth we create these myths.  Really.  A tooth fairy?  Why not just give the kid a buck when they lose the tooth?  I'm seriously going to have to look up how that all got started.  Somehow I have a hard time picturing our ancestors way back when getting so thrilled about their child losing a tooth that they had to create this ritual about it...  We lose our teeth, they grow back.  and....?   I'm surprised we haven't created a maturation fairy who brings a box of pads or a razor at the onset of puberty!  Hey, maybe there's a marketing ploy there.  Nobody steal that idea, k?

And don't even get me started about all of the Elf on the Shelf ideas on Pinterest, I can't help but scream in my head, "wwwwwwhhhhhhhyyyyyy???"  I'm SO glad that wasn't around or as big of deal when my kids were littler.  I can't imagine trying to remember to set up the elaborate "pranks" that this crazy elf pulls.  And beyond that, I don't get the logic.  If the elf is there to report good or bad behavior to Santa, then why the crap is he always making such a mess?  

Whatever.  So, I didn't mean for this to turn into a rant about the poor Elf.  Off topic much?

Back to the myth thing.  On the one hand, I do get the Santa thing, but would we be better off just teaching our kids from the beginning that Santa is really just a symbol of the Spirit of Christmas?  And not a real person who makes toys with the help of elves.  And an Easter Bunny?  Why?  At what point did we decide that just the true meanings of the seasons/holidays weren't enough?  

I'm obviously not condemning.  I went along with it all with my kids.  It's just what you do.  These are just some thoughts I've been mulling over.  I think there must be a way to balance it all.  I think there is a way to keep the magic and innocence of Christmas and Easter without it being about the gift giving creatures/people.  

But the tooth fairy...  I'm not so sure about that one.  

What do you think?  Am I onto something, or is my little grinch heart just 3 sizes too small?