Pretending is fun

Today Elli lost her first tooth.  Throughout the weekend it was wobbling around causing her some pain and consternation but the actual extraction was easy and painless enough.  She has been over the top excited about telling all of her friends and has given us fantastic descriptions of how thrilled they will be by her brawler's smile.

As we have done for Santa Claus we pitched the Tooth Fairy as a fun game of pretend that everyone plays and happily she bought into that with as much gusto as she did the fat old man.  She loves the idea that somehow money or special treats will make their way under her pillow in exchange for a tooth, especially because other kids in her class have apparently been teasing her about the fact that she had a complete smile.  Losing baby teeth, puberty, and other signs of aging are usually a pain in the ass when they are occurring but kids sure do use them as status symbols.  Adults, on the other hand, use their signs of aging as negative status symbols rather than positive.  Children can't buy convertibles, motorcycles or Rolexes so they have to take their symbols of experience and authority where they can get them I suppose.

She is starting Grade 1 tomorrow so it will be a big day; first off she will have new responsibilities and rules to figure out and second she will have to establish her new place in the pecking order as a certified tooth loser.  It is a lot of responsibility and excitement for just one day.