January 5th, 2013
The Tooth Fairy got rich

I don’t know what the Tooth Fairy was like when you were a kid, but my little winged nymph gave out a quarter per tooth.  In fact, in an attempt to weasel out another quarter, I once wrote a letter to her letting her know that I was saving for a Rainbow Bright Pony, and that if she wanted to wait until the day she got paid, I was totally fine with that.  Well, the Tooth Fairy aka Big Pimpin’ Winged Sugar Mama is not magically flying around with all those heavy quarters trying to be quiet in bedrooms any longer.  Maybe you knew that.  I’m pretty new to motherhood, and while I expected a little magical creature inflation, I had no idea how things had changed.  One of my fellow Momstrology editors recently mentioned to me that her daughter got a DVD that she already owned from the Tooth Fairy when she lost her first tooth, and when I started asking other parents I learned that the Tooth Fairy is sneaking dollars as dental bounty under pillows these days.  By the time my 16 month old starts loosing teeth, the tooth fairy is going to be giving out Apple products.

I think the thing about the Tooth Fairy is not so much the loot.  (Ok.  Kids do love the loot.)  It’s the special ritual and recognition that losing teeth is a right of passage.  Here are some little things and ideas for creating your own family traditions surrounding our flying friend.

	This rainbow door idea is just my kind of thing and such a unique idea.
	A little pouch on the bed prevents the fairy from having to be so stealth getting under the pillow.  Also how great is this tooth fairy receipt?
	Quite a few parents I talked to said they do this clever idea of the tooth fairy coloring water when she comes for the tooth.  The color of the water can come from the color of the fairy’s wings who visited.
	I love the entire story and the tooth fairy idea in this blog post on Filth Wizardry.
	This tooth fairy kit from House 8810 is pretty amazing.  These would be fun as a keepsake.
	I am absolutely not going the route of letting my child request things from the tooth fairy.  I have the feeling that’s asking for trouble, but this is really cute.

What are some special tooth fairy traditions in your family?  Do you have some special memory of a tooth fairy visit or tradition from when you were a kid?  What are some funny stories about yourself or your own child surrounding the tooth fairy?