At the dentist the other day, my 8-year old made a startling announcement. The dentist had just complemented him on his teeth, and asked if the tooth fairy had been good to him.

“Well,” he said, “sometimes. But she doesn’t always come.”

“Really?” I asked.

He sighed. “Yeah. Remember that tooth I lost? Well, I found it a couple weeks later and put it under my pillow, but she never came and got it!”

“That’s weird,” the dentist said.

“Yeah,” I agreed. “You still have the tooth?”

“No,” the big guy said. “I lost it again.”

Hmm… I wonder how many more times he’s going to try to put the tooth under his pillow. Do you think there could be a reason why the tooth fairy doesn’t want that particular tooth?