The Tooth Fairy has the Flu

My five-year-old unexpectedly lost her tooth on Wednesday. We are still not quite sure what brought it all on, she went from having no wiggle to hanging by a thread overnight. (I wonder if she might have banged her chin/mouth at church Sunday, cause that is when she noticed that it was loose.) Anyway, it just fell out on Wednesday morning. Well, being the family skeptic, she wasn't sure about having the tooth fairy anywhere near her pillow- so she opted out that evening.

The next night it was on, after much debate, she decided that since Mike and I know the fairy very well- that it must be okay. (and besides there is money involved)

Well, the tooth fairy got very tired and forgot...oops! Friday morning rolled around, Julianna was up with the sun 5:45 screaming,"Mommy, the tooth fairy forgot, she didn't leave me anything!!!!!"

This was the first time I recall ever lying to my child on purpose. I said in a very sleepy yet compassionate voice,"Oh yeah, daddy said that the tooth fairy called him in the middle of the night and she was so very sorry but she had a fever and she couldn't make it out last night."

Julianna's response: "Poor, little thing, I hope her mama is fixin' her some soup. We should pray for her."

Guilt hit me! I lied to her to save my behind. But it worked. What is the lesser of the two evils-1) the tooth fairy forgot about you kid, or 2) the tooth fairy has the flu? I have decided that my very sensitive girl could grasp the latter and not feel left out, rejected or not worth-while. Tough call, but I am sticking to my story and hopefully she will feel protected in the end.

Lord, Help this to be a faith builder.

Another anecdote to liven the history of us.