#toothfall #toothfairy #competition

This day will go down in history as a milestone of growth for my 7-year-old muffin. It was her day of triumph, her evening of victory, her sigh of relief over the long-awaited maiden fall. Yes, you got it. It was the evening her first milk tooth fell off. When my firstborn was in P1, she dropped her milk teeth too. And being the first child, I was the one with palpitations over her milestones. I confess I am guilty of being a helicopter mommy for the first 4 years of her life.

But having a second child is nature’s way of asking you to loosen up. And so it goes, I stopped bothering. My favorite line since has been, “Unless there is a war or one of you has a lethal weapon, do not bother me”.

It never occurred to me that my younger daughter may be representing tail-enders when it came to falling teeth. She had been waiting with bated breath for an entire year, sulking and brooding while all her friends had already joined the bandwagon of ventilated mouths. She was the rotten apple with perfectly sparkling milk teeth. Peer pressure could take forms you never knew existed. Every now and then she would come up to me and check, “Mumma when will my teeth fall? All my friends have new teeth. Only I don’t!”

Once again, I am guilty of trying to get my way out here. I told her she needs to eat more veggies. They are responsible for dropping teeth sooner. But there is no way in hell I can win against this mini encyclopedia. She put my argument under the bus.

After months of whining over missing her big milestone, sometimes in excitement, sometimes in vain, her moment of joy arrived last night. She finally yanked off her first milk tooth after it showed signs of shaking a few days ago. And now, each time I glance at her, I giggle at the sight of a face with a tiny window. A slightly grown-up looking outline of a girl who doesn’t look 6 anymore.

With Princess Monu, nothing quite goes by the book. The better half was ready with a coin from Tooth Fairy by bedtime. But guess what, our little angel had other plans. She did not want to leave her tooth underneath her pillow last night. Why, I didn’t even bother to ask. That’s a story for another day.

By the way, there are some more shaky teeth now. I am afraid, very soon her mouth is going to turn all windy. And as each tooth falls, the excitement will grow lesser. It is the first fall that brought mighty excitement and the perception of a growth spurt. She probably thinks she fits in with her classmates now. All firsts in life make for a story we cherish for the rest of our lives.

P.S. Isn’t it great to have two kids completely unlike each other? One believes she is Indian, while the other craves to be Italian for obvious reasons of being part of the pasta and pizza eating tribe. One is always calm and composed while the other cannot walk five steps in a row without dropping some random piece beautifying the wall. One loves perfection while the other fails to understand the need for it. Life is complete when you live in harmony with such a riot of colors that make you who you are. And yet, when it comes to outsiders, it’s the differences that we pick on to scoff at. Strange, isn’t it?