This is the kind of stuff that makes all of the stress in life go away...

On Monday I took Joaquin and Emma to the dentist for a check up and cleaning. Both had a loose tooth and Emma was excited about getting it removed. After a cleaning and removal of the teeth we left with new toothbrushes, stickers, the loose teeth in small boxes and beautiful smiles. As I dropped them off at summer camp, I called Liz to let her know there were no cavities but two new loose teeth for the tooth fairy. Emma had lost her first tooth two weeks ago and lost it at school. We were sad that we were not able to begin the tooth fairy ritual with our daughter...but we had her second tooth now! "Please bring home change so we can put it under their pillows." I said.  

I got home from work later that day but had to leave to help out a friend with a computer problem. I handed Liz the teeth and called the kids over to tell Mommy about the dentist visit. They came running, hopped on the bed and eagerly began to recount their stories. As I was gathering my stuff, I could hear Emma excitedly explaining how the dentist pulled her loose tooth. I smiled as I pictured my 5-year-old daughter pulling down her lower lip to show Mommy which tooth was gone. Tonight we would sneak into their rooms and replace money for teeth from "the tooth fairy."

I got home around 9pm and as I let myself in the front door, I sensed something was wrong. It was quiet, the TV was off, Liz was on the sofa with Joaquin seated quietly next to her - Emma was not in the room. Suddenly instinct kicked in and I slowed my advance, I was now a Delta Force operative entering a dark room filled with hostiles. As I raised my Heckler & Koch MP5 machine gun to bear...I swept the room with my eyes...any offensive movement would result in a double tap to the chest and head... "remember...short...controlled...bursts." I pressed the shoulder stock of my MP5 tighter into my right arm. A bead of sweat slowly trickled down my forehead - I prayed I was not the cause of my wife's irritation. Then I whispered, "What's wrong...?"

"Emma lost the tooth!" Liz exclaimed - suddenly the room lit up and I was just boring 'ol Gilberto again.

Emma had been playing with her tooth and lost it in the house. After a scolding, Liz bathed her then sent her to bed. The first time Emma lost her tooth we cut out a piece of paper in the shape of a tooth so she could put it under her pillow for the tooth fairy. This time we told her since the tooth was lost...no visit from the tooth fairy. It was painful for us but Emma had to deal with the consequences of her actions. After lights out, Liz and I stayed up discussing how to teach our little girl about responsibility. As we headed to bed, Liz made a quick detour to Joaquin's room and replaced his tooth with money.

The next morning Joaquin came to the breakfast table with such delight! The tooth fairy had come and left him some money! Emma was excited too! She smiled with her toothless lower jaw, thrust her little hand up and proudly displayed a quarter that the tooth fairy had left! Both Liz and I looked at each other...who had cracked? Who had folded under the pressure? Who could not resist the power of that little girl's big blue eyes? Both Liz and I met in our bedroom to discuss.

After a brief discussion we realized neither one of us had done so...then Liz stood straight up, smiled and called Joaquin. Joaquin came into our room and we asked him about the quarter. He looked down, smiled and said, "I put the quarter under Emma's pillow...I didn't want her to be sad."  He told us that he had found the quarter this morning and before coming to the breakfast table - he snuck into his little sister's room and put it under her pillow.

Brings a whole new meaning to, "Big Brother is watching..."