The following is an open letter to the Tooth Fairy, written after a particularly harrowing incident of forgotten teeth. Please understand that this letter in no way is an expression of all parental frustration over this practice, but merely one mother’s cry for commonsense.
Dear Tooth Fairy,
Let me start by relating my own fond memories of having teeth yanked out—for some reason, I seem to recall most of my teeth not really wanting to leave my mouth of their own accord—and then being consoled with the shiny quarter left under my pillow. What you did with all my teeth, I haven’t a clue, but as long as we continued to exchange teeth for money, I was a happy girl.
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Fast forward to today. Now, I know it’s been a few years since I was a kid, but things are getting out of hand. My children receive fifty cents for their first tooth lost, and a quarter for each subsequent tooth. With four kids in our household, that seemed a fair way to be compensated for those enamel pieces.
But then I read a recent Reuters article that talks about how children are receiving, on average, $3.70 per lost tooth. That’s a 23 percent bump since 2012—and a whopping 42 percent leap since 2011. I hear that some parents, er, tooth fairies are shelling out $20 a tooth (6 percent!), which would add up to $400 for one child. That’s taking things a bit too far.
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What on tooth hill is going on? Has the price of enamel gone through the roof when I wasn’t looking?
It’s a darn good thing my children missed that particular story, given what they received was on the low end of the scale. Frankly, I’m surprised that you stay in business. My family alone would cost you $296 if you paid the average of $3.70 for each of the 20 baby teeth lost (times four kids).
So I’m begging you to put a stop to this nonsense for the sake of my sanity—and the peace of mind for all parents. Otherwise, I’m going to need a better story than the one I’ve been telling my kids, that the tooth fairy has many helpers who visit different homes. Somehow, we’ve gotten the cheaper one. Return to a more modest outlay for lost teeth. You’re the only one who can put a stop to the rising cost of teeth.
Sincerely,
Sarah Hamaker
In October, Sarah will be giving a series of talks on The Well-Behaved Child: Discipline that Really Works through the City of Fairfax Parks and Recreation Department. Coming in early 2014, Sarah and Mary Elizabeth Peritti will speak on Parenting With Love & Leadership in a four-part webinar series. Contact Sarah through her website for more information.
Do you have a parenting question you would like to see answered on this blog? Email Sarah with Parenting Question in the subject line. Sign up for Practical Parenting, Sarah’s a free, monthly e-newsletter with commonsense advice on child rearing, by visiting www.parentcoachnova.com and clicking on the newsletter tab.
Sarah Hamaker is a certified Leadership Parenting Coach™ through the Rosemond Leadership Parenting Coach Institute. She’s also a freelance writer and editor. Sarah lives in Fairfax, Va., with her husband and four children. Visit her online at www.parentcoachnova.com and follow her on Twitter @novaparentcoach.
