Tooth Fairy

Michael and Spencer do not believe in Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny or the Tooth Fairy. Shortly after Michael uncovered the truth about Santa, the Easter Bunny and the Tooth Fairy also fell. Spencer too easily made the leap from Santa to the Easter Bunny and the Tooth Fairy. When Michael first let on that he knew that there was no Easter Bunny, I asked him how he had arrived at that conclusion. He responded with such incredulity regarding the idea that a rabbit, that is, a bunny, could carry baskets to everyone in the world in one night. The proposition was completely preposterous to him. He did not ask what I thought, but I have always believed the idea of the Tooth Fairy to be the most incredible and the most creepy (what with all of the teeth and everything). Michael commented that although he knew there was no Tooth Fairy, "it would be so easy to figure out if the Tooth Fairy is real." All he would have to do is lose a tooth, keep it a secret, put it under his pillow and see if it was still there in the morning (he is so scientific with his proving of things). A few days ago Spencer asked me, apropos of nothing, whether the Tooth Fairy could leave him a cool rock instead of money. This request struck me as noteworthy on two counts. First, Spencer has not lost any teeth yet and he already knows that the Tooth Fairy is not real. Sad. Second, there is too much of a sense of entitlement in this request. The Tooth Fairy leaves money. Not rocks. Not even cool rocks. The bargain has always been, leave the tooth, get some unspecified amount of money. Not, as Spencer would clearly prefer, get whatever you have had the forethought to ask your parents for. But Spencer is ready for a change. And I am not opposed. My guess is that it will come down to whether I have any cool rocks on hand when Spencer loses his first tooth.