Let Them Be Little

Thursday was a life changing day for The Big O. She's a little late to the "tooth fairy isn't real" party, OK really late. As far as we know, she still believes in Santa too. That's one of the great things about O, she allows herself to believe the unbelievable, to dream about the unimaginable. She's always been that way, she thinks about how things can happen, most of us think about why things can't or won't happen. I absolutely love that about her.

But she just learned that the tooth fairy doesn't really exist. To understand how much this devastated her, you have to understand that the Tooth Fairy was her pen pal for almost 3 years. She told the TF things she wouldn't tell Mom and Dad. She shared school stories, "crushes", feelings of joy and disappointment. To find out that this being didn't exist, well, I think it's going to be less upsetting when she soon finds out about Santa. This was a friend who wasn't there anymore.

But The CEO discussed it with her, told her how we saved all of her letters, and our responses, and she was pretty excited by this. in fact, she told The Bear she could now be pen pals with the TF as O was almost out of teeth. Then she asked if she could help writing the letters to Bear and Tornado. Of course we said sure.

After this talk, the CEO sensed an opportunity. The Birds and the Bees. It was time. So they discussed it, and O's response was "so Daddy had to do that to you?? Disgusting." In the morning I mentioned it in passing, and she said she didn't want to talk about it with me really. Which is fine. So now she's a little more informed, and a little less a little girl, a little more young lady.

I decided to write this blog because I thought this might be a year of changes. This wasn't one of the ones I had in mind. Sure, I knew it was coming, probably like O sensed the Tooth Fairy and Santa weren't real. But when it hits you, when the reality is staring you in the face, it's pretty jarring. Wasn't it just yesterday we were learning to ride a bike? Heck, learning to walk? Laying in the bed at Gateway with Oreo cookie all over her face laughing so hard the bed shook?

I see her getting older and it makes me so sad and happy and excited all at once. I think about what was, what is, and what will be. Whatever the time, I'll love her all the same.