Busted!!

Bryan has always felt like it was dishonest for us to mislead Ethan and Courtney with the toothfairy and other magical creatures (if you get my meaning), but today we got really busted.

Ethan was at school, wiggling his latest loose tooth when it fell out on his tongue. He took it out of his mouth, cupped it in his hand and began running for his classroom. Somewhere near the playground he realized that he had dropped his tooth. He looked all over and started to get a little upset because the toothfairy couldn't give him money if he didn't have a tooth to give her. Along came a very helpful classmate of his that told him that it didn't matter if he had his tooth or not because his parents are the toothfairy. Ethan was shocked. After he got off the bus he came right to me and asked me to "tell me the truth" about who the toothfairy was really. I took him into his bedroom, away from Courtney, and told him the truth. He was pretty upset, but not about us lying to him for 6 years, but because he was nervous that the money train had stopped with the truth. I assured him that we would still give him money under his pillow for his teeth.

But Ethan is smart and began thinking things over. I had to take him to the store to buy a birthday present for a friend and we began having some deep conversations ;) Ethan asked me how I knew how to be the toothfairy. He wondered if they had a class for parents explaining how to be a toothfairy. I told him that my parents had done it to me before and so I knew what to do. He asked how they were taught and I said that their parents probably did it to them. I explained that I really didn't know how it got started but that we had to keep up appearances for Courtney. We decided that he could be assistant toothfairy for her.

Then he asked what I did with all his teeth. To be honest, they are in a plastic baggie in our cabinet by the bathroom sink. I didn't know what to do with them and didn't want to throw them away (I don't know why!). So he devised a plan to put out his old teeth so the "sugar bugs" (another lie we use to get them to brush their teeth) would be attracted to his old teeth and would leave his "mouth teeth" alone. I told him I wasn't sure if that would work or not, but he is intent on trying it sometime.

He also asked me about the notes I have written from the toothfairy on the nights when we have forgotten and haven't left money until 2 days after he lost the tooth. He also asked WHY we had sometimes forgotten and hadn't left money for 2 days. He is a really deep thinker.

It was pretty interesting and I think he took the news well. I told him the only reason we did it was to make him happy and I think he understood that because the thought of helping be Courtney's toothfairy made him smile.