Throughout the month of March, I am participating in the annual Slice of Life Story Challenge, an event hosted by the team at Two Writing Teachers. Every day in March, I will share a story and comment on the stories of other participants. Please join us in writing, sharing, reading, and commenting!
Wiggly teeth didn't last long in our household. Cindy wrote about loose teeth this morning, and Sarah had a tooth-focused post this week as well. We could have a little text set about losing teeth which could be useful since most third-graders-- almost every third-grader-- has a tooth-losing story to tell.
Clare was probably six when she brought her loose front tooth to my attention. I, unlike Cindy, loved to pull out teeth. Maybe that was inherited from my dad as he loved to think about different ways to extract our not-so-pearly whites when I was growing up. (Yes, I let him tie a string to a door and my tooth once-- maybe another story...) In any case, Clare wasn't as extractingly adventurous as her two older sisters who pulled out teeth as soon as they sensed a possible budging in their gum. She asked me to give her front tooth a wiggle one night before her dance class.
"Yep, it's loose," I probably said.
"Can you pull it out?" she probably asked.
I might have given it a thought or two since that would necessitate some cash on hand, and I must have had some dollar bills around because I agreed. Clare may remember more exactly (feel free to add in, Clare) but we had a countdown and I gave her tooth a pull. Yep it came out, and I held her little front tooth in my hand. But when she smiled, there were two front teeth missing.
"Where's the other one?" she asked.
Great question! Where was the other one?
In my memory, we didn't find it, although we spent a lot of time on our hands and knees looking for that second tooth for the benefit of the tooth fairy. Also in my memory is that she was the kid without front teeth for a while.
She's a beautiful young woman, but she was also a pretty cute kid without her front teeth. I shared this post with her before publishing and she confirmed that we didn't ever find that second tooth and she had a gap for a long time. She also added that, it hurt like a *&^%^*$%^. I guess I repressed that part of the story. #theygrowupfast!
A tooth text set! I’ve surely written about teeth before! I like how your dad popped up again today. ❤️Jess
ReplyDeleteI could never pull out a tooth, but I do remember we lost one of my daughter's teeth once. She was playing around with her sister in a hotel room and banged her mouth - hence the tooth coming out. We looked everywhere for that tooth, but never found it. Maybe I can write up the post and add it to your teeth text set! lol!
ReplyDeleteThis post certainly brought back memories of being terrified to have my teeth pulled. Or to accidentally swallow one and somehow choke and die! I love that moment where you confirm with Clare what really happened. What a joy that slicing is a family affair!
ReplyDelete<3 I can confirm AGAIN that I can still feel that feeling. And then realizing that I was RIGHT when I had told you I thought they were stuck together. That was also a key part to the story!!
ReplyDeleteSo much fun to confirm with Clare to check for accuracy in your story. What a cutie - then and now. I was ok with a really loose tooth, but those that seemed to hang on for a week or more were not for me. Ick!
ReplyDeleteMelanie,
ReplyDeleteMy teeth and gums literally hurt as I read, especially the tying a string to a tooth part. That’s a memory for many of us. I agree: Both photos of Clare are cute, and if her adult photo is the way her teeth came in w/out braces, that’s amazing. Her teeth and smile are gorgeous!
Wait so weird we were talking about losing teeth on set this week! And I specifically was talking about how teeth did NOT stay in our mouths in our house. Too funny
ReplyDeleteI was just telling my friends how much I loved to lose teeth -- do you remember when I was down to my last molar and the orthodontist told me not to lose it. Of course I came home from school the next day able to turn it in a circle LOL
ReplyDeleteMelanie, so funny! The relationship you have with your girls is so special. The pictures of Clare are precious here. I love loose tooth memories. Your post made me think of some special moments as a child and with my own kids. Thanks!
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