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The big mouth in the sky
Filed under: Big Kids, Development/Milestones: Babies
A while back, Ellie's dentist informed us that she had a bad tooth. One of her baby teeth had cracked and could potentially lead to infection and pain. We didn't have it pulled right away because it wasn't bothering her and we hoped we could get away with waiting until it came out on its own. No such luck. Yesterday, we went in to have it pulled.
She was quiet on the drive over and I could tell she was worried about it. She told me that she had talked to some kids at school and they all assured her that it wasn't a big deal. And it wasn't. The dentist was wonderful and the procedure was quick and mostly painless. Once he had it out, he dropped the tooth into a plastic container and reminded Ellie to put it under her pillow before she went to bed.
When we got home, she wanted to see her tooth. I opened up the little holder and we both stared in stunned silence. It didn't even look like a tooth. It was gray and broken and was the very definition of nasty. The idea that this had been in her mouth made me want to cry. Ellie was equally disgusted by it and begged me to throw it in the trash immediately.
So, I did. And then I looked at Ellie and saw her quivering lip and watery eyes. I put my arms around her as she began to sob uncontrollably. Through her tears, she explained that the tooth was a part of her and seeing it go into the trash made her feel so sad. She wanted it gone, but didn't feel right disposing of it in such a way.
Realizing that she was grieving for her dead tooth and needed to say a proper goodbye, I dug it out of the trash. This afternoon, we will be having a small ceremony in the backyard where we will pay tribute to the tooth and acknowledge all the wonderful chewing it did while on this earth. Then we will give it a proper burial and send it off to that big mouth in the sky.
In the meantime, Ellie was delighted to discover this morning that not only does the Tooth Fairy pay up when there is no tooth under the pillow, she actually pays double!
She was quiet on the drive over and I could tell she was worried about it. She told me that she had talked to some kids at school and they all assured her that it wasn't a big deal. And it wasn't. The dentist was wonderful and the procedure was quick and mostly painless. Once he had it out, he dropped the tooth into a plastic container and reminded Ellie to put it under her pillow before she went to bed.
When we got home, she wanted to see her tooth. I opened up the little holder and we both stared in stunned silence. It didn't even look like a tooth. It was gray and broken and was the very definition of nasty. The idea that this had been in her mouth made me want to cry. Ellie was equally disgusted by it and begged me to throw it in the trash immediately.
So, I did. And then I looked at Ellie and saw her quivering lip and watery eyes. I put my arms around her as she began to sob uncontrollably. Through her tears, she explained that the tooth was a part of her and seeing it go into the trash made her feel so sad. She wanted it gone, but didn't feel right disposing of it in such a way.
Realizing that she was grieving for her dead tooth and needed to say a proper goodbye, I dug it out of the trash. This afternoon, we will be having a small ceremony in the backyard where we will pay tribute to the tooth and acknowledge all the wonderful chewing it did while on this earth. Then we will give it a proper burial and send it off to that big mouth in the sky.
In the meantime, Ellie was delighted to discover this morning that not only does the Tooth Fairy pay up when there is no tooth under the pillow, she actually pays double!
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ReaderComments (Page 1 of 1)
3-20-2008 @ 2:12PM
queenoqueens said...I'm glad you were able to find a way to say goodbye to the tooth in a way that helps Ellie.
It is amazing the deep sadness that throwing out a simple thing can evoke. I think kids feel this more often than us hardened adults. But just today, I was donating some clothes, and felt such sadness after donating a particular dress my daughter wore as a baby. I thought having a picture of her in the dress would be enough, but I realize now that it just isn't the same.
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3-20-2008 @ 2:21PM
Jill said...There is a wonderful book called "Throw Your Tooth on the Roof" that contains tooth traditions from around the world. Burying a tooth is very common for bottom teeth (so they'll come up straight) and throwing them on the roof is common for the top ones. Ellie might be a good age to read and enjoy the book.
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3-20-2008 @ 2:21PM
jane said...You are so compassionate and kind. Have a nice ceremony.
Reply
3-21-2008 @ 10:12AM
Jessica said...Ellie is such a gentle soul. Poor baby.
Reply