Where has the magic gone?

Sam has had a loose tooth for quite some time. I, personally, was a tooth puller. The thing got loose and I was all over figuring out how to get it out of my mouth fast. Sam, on the other hand, was a prolonger. He wanted to keep that darn tooth in his mouth as long as possible.

Which left us plenty of time to discuss
The Tooth Fairy.

Sam insists that it is not real.

Which, of course, it isn't.

So why am I so upset and annoyed about this? Why do I care that my child doesn't believe in a fairy tale, a fantasy, a made-up concept?

I think it's because I'm sad that he isn't at all interested in magic.

You know, magic.


He is such a realist, such a pragmatist, that he can't even believe in magic. He won't. (Trust me, I tried.)

I've been thinking a lot about why this bothers me. And I've figured it out.

It's about God.

I know, for sure, that not believing in the Tooth Fairy will not necessarily lead to a lack of faith in God.
(After all, I know that there's no Tooth Fairy but I'm pretty confident about my belief in God._

But I think that is my worry. If he is so certain, so sure, so absolutely positive that The Tooth Fairy doesn't exist...how much harder will it be for me to convince him that there is a Holy One, that the God of my Ancestors is his God as well?

We talk about God all the time in my house. I want him to have a connection, a relationship, a belief.

Is that too much to ask?
Sigh....this parenting thing is hard.

P.S. Here's what I had to say when David lost his first tooth.

Toothless Wonders!

It's hard to believe that my baby my oldest child who was just born who is already 6 years old, who entered kindergarten this year...is now one tooth short.

Yep, that's right. A lost tooth is just the beginning.

Next it's a driver's license.

Okay, maybe not.


But it does mean the Tooth Fairy and who knows what's next!?

{{{Deep breaths}}}

Each moment brings its own blessings. A little sad, perhaps, that he isn't the little boy that he was. But joyous in knowing that he is on the miraculous journey of life into becoming the menschy, kind, wonderful person that I already see growing before my eyes.

Shehecheyanu, v'kiyimanu, v'higiyanu lazman hazeh...thank You, God, for bringing us to this toothy milestone.

May his mouth be filled with song and his lips speak words of wisdom...

See more Best Shots here...