GROWING UP: On Losing Pieces of your Body, for Money

Jack minus a tooth!

One growing up milestone that I have been a little nervous about for my autistic, sensory-aware Jack: losing teeth. I’ve been very aware that this necessary milestone was imminent…actually, it was starting to seem a little past due as he was approaching the end of 1st grade…

I was worried that the loose tooth stage would really bother him. Then there would be the trauma of pulling it out. And then he would see this piece of his body, which had grown with him for most of his life…in my hand, lifeless and homeless. There would be the unique sensation of the “fresh hole in the mouth” stage. And lastly, a strange new tooth would have to fit its way into Jack’s already established body.

Oh brother. Why do mothers even try to imagine how things will go??

He came home from school one day, so excited to tell me he had a loose tooth! Now he was just like the friends that already got to lose a tooth. Hey, that means he was noticing what was going on with his classmates!

Big brother playing dentist

Jack worked vigorously on his loose tooth for several days. He even let his older brother try to pull it out.

After a few days of this, after brushing teeth at night, I just gave it a little push. And out it came! Oh how excited he was to run around the house telling everyone and smiling with his new holey mouth. He kept repeating he wanted to show his teacher tomorrow!

The Tooth Fairy is a Strange Concept to Explain

I did show him the tooth, but I don’t think he knew what the small white shape was that I had in my hand. And, holding it, I didn’t know what to do with it. We hadn’t talked about the Tooth Fairy concept, and it just seemed kind of weird and too much to explain with all of his excitement over the new hole in his mouth. And the Tooth Fairy leaves money! What does Jack know about money??

Way too much to introduce and explain. I’m kinda sad about this, but I opted for the easy move, and that was to just keep the tooth myself.

He went to school the next day, so excited to show his teacher! And when he came back home, guess what he showed me?? A new loose tooth right next to the hole! Apparently Jack’s baby tooth avalanche has begun.

A Lesson in Finance

When the 2nd tooth finally came out, we did talk about the Tooth Fairy. I did not think he understood about the envelope we put under his pillow. But I saw him wake up the next morning and he immediately said “I have a message!” as he dug under his pillow. Normally a dollar wouldn’t mean anything, but because his older brother said, “Jack, you can go to 7-11 and get a Slurpee with that!”, it meant everything!

Lucky holey-mouth kid!

And so, the dollar came with us on a trip to 7-11. I had Jack hand it to the cashier to help him process that money=goods. (And I had to sneak some more cash over to pay for the whole amount.)

It’s a pretty good deal for a kid when you think about it: your tooth comes out, you get money, you get a Slurpee. You better believe Jack is working hard on his new loose tooth, this time on the top!

>> What are your tooth-losing stories? Have your kids been ok with the new and different sensations that come with this milestone? <<