There were two instances when I tried to stay awake as a child. The first was so I could catch Santa Claus leaving my present and filling my stocking with goodies. Since we didn’t have a chimney, I didn’t know how he got into our house. The other was so I could watch the Tooth Fairy exchanging my tooth for a quarter. I couldn’t understand how she could be small enough to fit under my pillow and yet be able to carry a quarter and all those teeth she had gathered.

I still remember being so excited to see a quarter under my pillow after I woke up. Nowadays, I don’t think you can do anything with a quarter, but it was different back in the early 70s. I could actually buy candy with it. If I didn’t want candy, I would use it in the kiddie vending machines at the laundromat so I could get a prize. At times, I miss the simple pleasures of childhood.

When my daughter Sara came along, I was so excited to have Santa Claus and the Tooth Fairy visit our house again. Fortunately for her, there was an adjustment for inflation because she received a whole dollar per tooth when she was small. As she grew, it went another dollar. Then there was this one instance where she pulled off quite the stunt. No, she didn’t see the Tooth Fairy. Actually, I think it was much better than that. Believe it or not, she received money twice for the same tooth while in two different states.

We were heading south on I-95 on our way to visit relatives in Florida when we stopped in Pooler, GA to spend the night. It’s located just north of Savannah. We weren’t in the hotel room too long when Sara lost a tooth. I knew it was loose, but not that it was ready to come out. Of course, I told her to place it under her pillow. She worried that the tooth fairy wouldn’t know where she was. I assured her it was okay. Sure enough, the next morning she found a dollar under her pillow, but that wasn’t all she found.

Lying on the floor was the tooth that had been placed under her pillow. She didn’t understand why the tooth fairy didn’t want to keep her tooth. I told her the tooth fairy could be klutzy like I am and since she was small, she probably struggled with carrying all of those teeth and the money. Then I had an idea. I told Sara to place the tooth under her pillow again. Maybe the tooth fairy felt bad about dropping it and would give her more money for it again. She agreed, so I placed it in my billfold to keep to keep it safe for the rest of our trip. That night in our Florida hotel room, she placed her tooth under her pillow again. The next morning, she found another dollar.

“Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving.” Colossians 2:7 (KJV)

I know there are people that don’t practice Santa Claus or the Tooth Fairy. I respect that. As my parents did with me, I obviously practiced both of these with Sara. Also like my parents, I raised her in church and taught her about the Lord. I wanted her to be grounded in her faith when she was ready to go out into the world.

I think Sara told all of our relatives in Florida about how she got 2 dollars for the same tooth. She would always end with: “The tooth fairy is klutzy like my momma.” I would shrug and reply: “Isn’t that a coincidence.”