Snaggatoof!

I know, it's ridiculous, but it's what my Mother, Daisy, always called me and my cousins when we had teeth missing.

It's a childhood rite of passage we all go through: losing teeth.

For some it's probably more tramautic than others. I remember my Nana, telling me that if I didn't hurry up and lose the tooth on my own (I was probably whining and carrying on) that she would tie a string around the tooth, attach the other end of the string to a doorknob and proceed to slam the door (taking the tooth with it).

Luckily for my sanity, I don't think she ever resorted to doing that, but I distinctly remember that conversation.

Chrysanthemum has been telling me for weeks that she had a loose tooth. I didn't believe it; I thought she was a tad too young for her teeth to start falling out. Well, she must've been right, because today, she lost her first tooth. It took a bit of coaxing to come out, in the end, I had to wrap a napkin around my fingers and give it a good yank. She looked a little surprised when it happened; not hurt, just bewildered. She wanted the Tooth Fairy to be notified right away that the tooth had come out and inquired about what she should expect (i.e., greenbacks). Marigold quickly informed her that the Tooth Fairy was limited to leaving one $1 dollar bills per tooth. I only smiled at that - Marigold always plays the Tooth Fairy.

Of course, I got a little misty at the realization that my baby, my youngest child, is in fact, growing up. I get this realization over and over again a few times a year. And each time, I admit, I get a little weepy.

Whenever the waterworks start, Marigold looks at me like I had just better get over it.