5

My 5-year-olds are now 19, 13, 12 and 10, so it is wonderful to spend time with my niece, Ellie, who is the only true-blue 5-year-old in the family right now.

Every family should have a 5-year-old. They are fantastically imaginative and tell you like it is. In my humble opinion, Ellie is a remarkable thinker. And perhaps more imaginative than your run-of-the-mill 5-er.

Case in point:

Macy had a very loose tooth the other day. We were awaiting the inevitable loss of the tooth and throughout the day, Macy and Ellie were periodically wriggling the tooth to hasten its demise.

Well, late in the day, the anticipated event finally happened. The tooth was out. Macy was taking it around to each of us to make sure we fully appreciated that "this is the whitest, cleanest tooth I've ever lost!" (Macy is 12, her dental hygiene has improved dramatically over the past year or so.)

After we'd all properly admired the tooth (our family has its weird moments), we all went back to our respective activities. While in the kitchen, I heard Macy and Ellie discussing something in urgent undertones. Ellie's tone seemed particularly intent as she spoke quickly and fervently to Macy, gesticulating elaborately to make her point. I was intrigued but couldn't hear what they were discussing.

Moments later, I walked into the living room and found Ellie face down on the couch, wailing and sobbing in a manner that would make all 5-year-olds everywhere proud. Macy sat next to her on the couch and was lovingly rubbing Ellie's dramatically heaving back as she gently explained, "But, Ellie, the Tooth Fairy will know it isn't your tooth, and she can't give you money for someone else's tooth."

See, because Macy's 12, she doesn't get Tooth Fairy visits anymore, and she'd mentioned this to Ellie. Ellie figured since Macy wouldn't be using it....

Oh, it's rough being the littlest cousin, with older cousins losing teeth right and left, finding all kinds of loot under their pillows, and knowing that a perfectly good pearly white is going to go to waste when your own baby teeth are too little to be leaving your firm little gums anytime soon.

Sorry, Ellie, I suppose the best we can hope for is a tumble in the yard or an inadvertant door knob in the face to hasten along your first visit from the Tooth Fairy.

In the mean time, you just keep on being your fabulously creative, always-thinking-a-few-steps-ahead self.

Love from the farm,
Aunt Teri