On Tuesday, I was having a funk day. It was probably just fatigue after a jam-packed weekend, but nonetheless, every little chore felt monumental.
I was sitting in a exhausted stupor after lunch watching the kids nag each other, depressed that all my training and hard work with them had been in vain. This came after a discouraging day homeschooling as Haley’s backwards 5s and Zs almost sent me to the psychiatric ward.
So there I was, sitting and thinking about how I needed find a better job and dreaming about the green grass on other side of the fence, when the moment came. Darcy had put a saddle and reins on Haley and was riding her around the living room like a horse. Suddenly, the rodeo got violent, Haley reared on her hind legs, Darcy fell off backwards, and Haley stood up, exclaiming, “My tooth! I lost my first tooth!”
As I was cleaning up the blood, I thought how ironic it was that, not only I WAS THERE for this landmark event, but I was also watching as it happened, wishing I were anywhere else in the world.
Sure, being at home with your kids can be mundane and discouraging, but it also allows for days like today. I got to watch as Haley paid her sister two dollars for her assistance in getting the tooth out (It had been loose for months, but Haley was too scared to ever wiggle it!), and help Haley spell some words for her letter to the tooth fairy (Dear tooth farey, can you plese leave the tooth? I realy like it.) We also discovered that Gracie was getting her FIRST tooth, so it turned into an all-out-Tooth-Day-Tuesday celebration complete with balloons and bananas (hey, cut me a break; they kind of look like teeth).
After getting a power nap that was cheaper and much more effective than a mental institution, the day ended with this conversation:
Haley: Mom, can you please sneak into my room after I fall asleep and leave me a little special somethin’ somethin’ under my pillow?
Me: Well…uh….what about the tooth fairy?
Haley: I don’t believe in the tooth fairy. I….I…..I just believe in God.
I think I’ll keep my job.
Isn’t that just the way God works? Exactly when we don’t want to be where we are He opens our eyes to why He put us there. If you hadn’t been there (whether at work or in the mental institute :)) you would’ve missed all those tooth events. Yet, I can so relate too. 🙂
Hilarious! I remember when I was growing up I would always go in my mom’s jewelry box and take out dollars for each tooth I lost because, as I told her, I knew she was the tooth fairy so why not just skip the whole money under the bed thing… 🙂