Sometimes, we have good intentions when we make promises. Then, when we have to pay up, we wonder what went through our minds in the first place.

All of this started a couple of months ago when Bridget lost a tooth. She got all excited as usual, but she had something different to tell us this time.

The Tooth Fairy (that’s me and Maria by the way) was going to bring her a prize, she said.
That caught us a little by surprise. We asked her why she thought this was going to happen when the tooth fairy had only brought her money before, and she told us that her best friend got a prize the last time she lost a tooth.

For several years now, we have done a pretty good job at fending off envy when it comes to toys and presents and the like. Bridget does a pretty good job of understanding that just because a friend gets something, that doesn’t mean she will get it. She knows she’s pretty lucky.

But this is the freaking Tooth Fairy we’re talking about. She has a mystique above all the other present-bearing persons of childhood.

Santa has plenty of time to prepare. The Easter Bunny really doesn’t have a whole lot of responsibility.

The Tooth Fairy can make an appointment at a moment’s notice. And she has varying standards for each and every family.

So far, we have dodged a bullet with the money. I don’t think Bridget has gotten more than $1 for a tooth. She hasn’t found out that some people give their kids more money than that. There is nothing wrong with that. We’re just cheap.

So we give her dollar coins, which she thinks are really special. Only she doesn’t know that they are special because people won’t use them on a regular basis so we get away with one there, but that’s OK.

The only problem is just when we get her to believe that she’s not going to get more than a buck, the Tooth Fairy decides to bring a present to someone who holds a lot of influence in a little girl’s life – the best friend.

I wish I had gotten the memo earlier. This is why parents need to communicate more. I think we all need some sort of guidelines so that our kids don’t come up to us shortly before their bedtime with a freshly pulled tooth and announce that a present will magically appear under their pillow that night.

If I do say so myself, we did a masterful job at dodging the situation several months ago. We told Bridget that the Tooth Fairy only brought special things if you asked. So she dutifully wrote a note to the Tooth Fairy asking for a present, buying me some time until I had to come through.

Maria’s stamping ability came through in the clutch and the Tooth Fairy left a return note saying that she, indeed, would bring a present the next time Bridget lost a tooth.
Naturally, that happened at about 7 p.m. the other day after a really long day at the office and with no potential presents in the house.

The Tooth Fairy might not be real, but the 24-hour store is. During Bridget’s bath, five dollars magically disappeared from my wallet and a My Little Pony appeared on her nightstand after she went to sleep.

We made no promises this time. I need to check with all her friends’ parents before another tooth falls out.