Thursday 25 October 2012

The Last Fairy Visit?

Photocopy: Maggie May


Millie, my youngest granddaughter has now grown up. Whilst staying with friends for a sleepover, she lost the first of her top teeth. The tooth was carefully wrapped up so that she could take it home and put it under the pillow for the tooth fairy to collect and leave some silver for her.
She came to me the next day and showed me the gap.
"I don't think there is such a thing as a tooth fairy. Its really the parents who put the money there,"She declared.
"Well, one thing for sure," I replied, "If you don't believe in her then she certainly won't leave you anything." I then, tongue in cheek, started to say, "Every time you say you don't believe in fairies......."
Amber who is ten, rolled her eyes and finished the sentence, "A fairy dies......." (Thats according to Peter Pan.)
Millie, ever ready to please everyone and obviously thinking of the financial loss, said......."Yes I do believe....... I really do" but her words were hollow and I knew she had grown too big for that. 
When the second teeth start to grow down, that *baby look* completely disappears. It is the end of an era. My last grandchild has now grown up. 
Am I sentimental in feeling slightly sad?

32 comments:

Sueann said...

No not at all! It is sad when they no longer believe!
I cried when my son quit believing in Santa!! Sniff
Hugs
SueAnn

Formerly known as Frau said...

No not at all.....I remember the day as clear as yesterday when my daughter figured everything out....it was a sad day!

Akelamalu said...

It's a sad day when children say they don't believe in Fairies and Father Christmas. It means we have to grow up too. :(

Suburbia said...

Not sentimental at all. It is a very sad time, innocence doesn't last long enough.

Ayak said...

You are sentimental Maggie but these milestones make me sentimental too. Childhood is so short...it's sad when it's over x

cheshire wife said...

Probably both, but you cannot turn back the clock.

Brian Miller said...

oh what a sad day...the day the magic leaves and reality begins to set in....

Anonymous said...

I hate it when they stop believing in Santa Claus

FeltByRae said...

My son is 25 and I still make him tell me he believes in Santa before I let him have his presents! I know, I'm a bad mum, but he gets the joke... I think!

Irene said...

You really should be happy about any new stage a child moves into because it all is a great big adventure and you know not what is around the corner. Lots of surprises will be and they will all be worth it, even the less pleasant ones.

Jeni said...

Every doggone step the kids take is another step in leaving childhood behind, isn't it? And yes, it's sad to watch that happen.
I can't remember which of the kids here -Maya or Kurtis -believed in the tooth fairy but wouldn't put the baby tooth under the pillow because he/she "Didn't want some fairy flying around overhead while he/she was asleep!" So Mandy had to place the tooth in some other sort of a hiding place to keep that child from being frightened by dreams of a fairy flying overhead! Kids. Go figure, huh?

Wendy said...

Awww, yeah, I agree with you Maggie. Once they lose the magic of childhood.... (sniff,sniff).....

My granddaughter lost her first tooth. But - it was unplanned. She had fallen from her swing onto the ground and it came out. (and it hurt!) She's still only 5 and the only thing that stopped the tears was telling her the tooth fairy would be visiting her that night.

Secret Agent Woman said...

Sounds like a normal reaction to me - those "lasts" are bittersweet.

Dimple said...

The end of each stage is a little sad and a little happy, but if they didn't happen something would be wrong.

I hope you, Harry, and the bunnies are doing well!

Jayne said...

It's bittersweet, I imagine. But happy and exciting, too. Nothing wrong with feeling sentimental! But all stages are to be celebrated. :-)

Leave It To Davis said...

I think it's sad when a child is losing their innocence. To me, it isn't exciting. It's an end to a part of their life that will never return. I believe to most kids, secretly, it's sad for them, too.

Bernie said...

Oh no sweet Maggie, I understand how you would feel sad. It is the end of an era but a new one begins with many exciting times ahead..Hugs:-)

Anonymous said...

Awww, they never grow up in grandma's eyes! I remember when Amy caught me putting money under her pillow and it confirmed her suspicions that tooth fairies don't exist; it's such a shame.

CJ x

Shammickite said...

Oh I'm feeling sad just thinking about my sweet little grandchildren growing up and losing their belief in magical things! They are all still too young to lose that innocent wonder and face the real world. But the time will come..... they grow up so fast.

Rose said...

Oh, I agree it is such a sad time. And yet as they grow up you can enjoy them in so many other ways. I remember a year or two ago, I had put some fairy-related toy--stickers or a notepad or a pen--in my granddaughter's Christmas stocking. She politely informed me when she finished opening all her presents, "Grandma, don't you know I've outgrown fairies?" Well, no, I didn't; it made me sad to think we had left that part of childhood behind. My grandsons are still young, but unfortunately, they're into Superman and Batman, not fairies and princesses:)

CiCi said...

If Peter Pan said it, it must be true.
Watching grandchildren grow up is one of life's greatest pleasures.

Working Mum said...

What, no tooth fairy!? I've got a picture to prove she exists (icaughtthetoothfairy.com) which has daughter thoroughly convinced. Now quick, get to Icaughtsanta.com before she starts to wonder about him too!

dianefaith said...

My oldest grandchild, age 6, is dropping teeth right and left. It has made his whole face look different. When I asked what I should do if he lost a tooth while at my house, I was told to save it carefully, since he believes that the tooth fairy only comes for his teeth at his house. So far, he hasn't told me that there is no tooth fairy, and he is quite the one for giving lectures and correcting misconceptions.
Glad you're having this same kind of joy.

Gone Back South said...

Young children are so cute and we don't want to lose that yummy adorable little kid stuff. I'm wrestling with this myself at the mo - my two are 12 and nearly 11 - they veer from still-young to growing-up all the time and it's very confusing for me as well as them.

Hilary said...

Awww what a bittersweet time. Sad to see them outgrow the wonders of childhood but such a delight to watch them grow into the independent thinkers they must become.

Suldog said...

Too sentimental? Not in the least.

When that ability to believe in anything and everything is lost, it's an absolute crying shame. The world would be a greater place, all around, if we all retained that innocence.

MARY G said...

Of course not. It's a dilemma. While you would love them to stay little, it's so wonderful to watch them grow.
I vividly recall one night when I forgot the tooth fairy gig and my daughter stomped out for breakfast the next morning and glared daggers at me. Without a word. Later I found that she had made her bed (unusual, even with nagging) and that the tooth was spang in the middle of the carefully smoothed quilt.

Sally Wessely said...

You have every right to feel sad. I am feeling the same way about my grandchildren growing up. It happened way too fast.

Anonymous said...

Oh, how sad! My kids are 9 and 11 and still believe in the Tooth Fairy and Santa Claus!

SandyCarlson said...

Oh, that delicate line. I remember when my daughter was in elementary school and adults in our lives would do that wink-and-nod talk-over-their-heads stuff about fairies and Santa. It made me crazy that they presumed a right to cut into childhood that way. You are great for being a part of the dream.

Jackie said...

You know that as a Nana, I read this one with a tear in my eye, sweet Maggie. If we could bottle that innocence, and keep our dear children and grandchildren at that innocent age, I think we all would. This is a lovely post...full of emotions straight from your heart.
Love you, my friend.
Jackie

www.retiredandcrazy.com said...

My greatgrandaughter has just started Senior School Maggie and I feel just as sentimental.