Life Lessons

I'm having one of those weeks...ugh!! I ran into Petco the other day to get Ruby's glucosamine tablets, which run about $28 a bottle. Later that afternoon, I received a 10% off coupon from Petco in the mail...really?? Then, just yesterday, I stopped in at Borders Express in the mall after seeing Harry Potter again one final time (aaahh...Harry, how I love you!!) Our Sunday school class will be doing Rob Bell's "Love Wins" this fall and I thought I'd pick up a copy while Borders was having their Going Out of Business sale. I got 40% off yesterday. This morning in my email I get a notice from Borders stating that now everything is 50%-70% off...really?? *Sigh* This is so my luck...rotten at best...

Mr. Michael has been keeping himself busy the past few days wiggling a loose tooth, wanting someone, anyone, to pry it out for him. I'm sorry, that's just not in my job description as a mom--ripping teeth from my child's gums, I can't do it. He's also at that age now where he's questioning the truth about the existence of Santa and the Tooth Fairy. He wants to believe but he doesn't want to be fed a fairy tale either. He simply wants the truth. He boldly proclaimed to his friends the other day at the park that he knew there wasn't a Tooth Fairy, that I was the one who took his teeth and put the money under his pillow. Strong words for someone wishing for Hot Wheels cash, little man...

So he finally yanks this tooth out yesterday afternoon and comes running to show me, all the while proclaiming still that he knows I'm the one who'll take his tooth and give him the money, there's no real Tooth Fairy. Yeah, all right...we'll see. Later then, that evening, I caught him bullying Tucker, twisting his ears and trying to yank him around like that. I grabbed him and sent him to his room for the rest of the night--thinking to myself, 'No Tooth Fairy for you, mister!!'

Well, I think he must've laid awake all night hoping to catch me in the act of exchanging his tooth for cash. Around three we got hit with a pretty good thunderstorm which woke up Tucker, who started crying and whining. I got him out of bed, thinking he should go outside before we have an accident in the house. Next thing I know, Michael is right on our heels, yelling, "Game over!! I still have my tooth, there is no Tooth Fairy!" I ushered Tucker out the back door for a pee and turned around to face Michael's accusations.

"Maybe because you were so mean to Tucker yesterday, the Tooth Fairy decided not to come!" I answered him.

"Ever?", his incredulous reply, eyes wide and mouth hung open with the guilty implication at the thought of costing himself a chance at cold hard cash. I simply shrugged. I'm not awake enough at three in the morning to have a morals discussion on behavior and consequences. I don't know what to do to get through to him most times. He seems to think rules don't apply to him, that he can do whatever he wants, whenever he wants. Not this time. No tooth money for you. So I'm a mean old mom. He knows that already. But one day he'll learn--I hope anyway--that rules are there for a reason, and they most certainly apply to him and he can't always get away with doing whatever he wants. It would just make life a little easier if he'd learn this lesson a little faster...

Another tooth bites the dust