Anna is terrified of the Tooth Fairy. Even though, she wants the money, she’s not excited about a stranger coming into her room at night and looking under her pillow. Who could blame her?
The last time Anna lost a tooth (she’s in first grade), I could tell she was really scared to go to bed. So I said to her, “Anna, why don’t you just leave your tooth in the kitchen tonight. I’m sure the Tooth Fairy will still find it and leave you something in return.”
It worked like magic. Anna left her tooth on the kitchen counter and went straight to bed. And the Tooth Fairy was more than happy with this new arrangement. I didn’t have to fish under her pillow for her tooth or wait until she was “really asleep” to do my duty. (The Tooth Fairy is known to get a little forgetful later into the evening.)
Then, Nick lost a tooth last week. Of course, he knows there is no Tooth Fairy. But he likes to go through the motions, so he put his tooth under his pillow just to get the money. I could see the look of horror in Anna’s eyes.
In the middle of the night, I heard a scream. You guessed it, It was Anna. I found her in a pile of sweat, crying hysterically. Apparently, she couldn’t bear to think of that sneaky Tooth Fairy invading Nick’s nearby bedroom.
I held her tightly, looked into her eyes and said, “Anna, don’t cry. Mom is the tooth fairy.” She gave me a big smile, gasped a sigh of relief and was asleep in about 30 seconds.
Anna’s not afraid of the Tooth Fairy any more. But her fear reminds me that, like so many other fears in life, she was afraid of something that didn’t exist – something that had no basis outside of her own mind. How many of our fears are based on a false assumption instead of what’s real and true?
There is nothing to fear but fear itself – Franklin D. Roosevelt
For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind - The Apostle Paul
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2 comments:
I enjoyed reading this. The tooth fairy can be frightening to a child and I never really gave it much thought before this. I guess the fact that this fear can sometimes be bought off with the promise of cash gives something else to think about.
Your words about fear and how often it is the unknown that we are fearful of; something that we have conjured up in our own minds that makes us shiver in our shoes. Great reminder, and an entertaining read.
Yes, good point. I really hadn't thought about cash inducing Anna to put up with her fears until the whole Tooth Fairy incident. It does make me think.......
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