Belief

Xavier lost another tooth recently. It was actually on his tenth birthday. He was so excited to place his tooth under his pillow, and even wrote a letter to the tooth fairy letting her know about his special day. She of course, wrote back, and gave him an extra dollar.

I find myself surprised that at age ten, mythical beings like the tooth fairy, Santas Clause, and the Easter Bunny, are still completely believable to Xavier. He has not one single doubt in his mind that they exist. And while I find that endearing, I also have started to feel that flutter of worry about when he find out that it's really Mom and Dad. I've heard horror stories from other moms whose children went on a rampage when they found out the truth. That they felt lied to and couldn't trust their parents. I'm hoping that this won't be the case for us. I'm hoping that Xavier and our other kids, will realize that behind the scenes, the feeling is the same. That Mom and Dad allowed them the beauty of magic in their lives for as long as possible and did so out of love. Because once you lose that sense of magic and wonder, a piece of your childhood is forever gone and cannot be replaced.

Xavier was so happy to see his toothfairy letter the following morning. His eyes lit up in excitement when he showed it to me. And while I know this won't last for much longer, I can hope that his excitement for something like this will be worth it when the time comes for him to grow up. I hope he can remember how happy he was and realize that it was an important part of his childhood.