Rachel despises doctors, nurses, dentists, and any kind of procedure performed on her by any of these professionals. In fact, "despises" doesn't even seem to be a strong enough word. The last time she got a flu shot, it took me and two nurses to pry her out of tornado drill position, hold her down, and give her the shot. (That was after we had tried the Flu Mist. The nurse couldn't administer it because Rachel kept covering her face.) The dentist has to "gas her" just to fill a small cavity. She refuses to take medicine of any kind. Like I said, "despises" just doesn't seem strong enough.
As you can imagine, Rachel was not very happy when she learned that she was going to have to have two teeth pulled. (This was to be the initial step in addressing some space issues in her mouth that will soon lead us to braces.) I was trying to put a positive spin on the whole situation for her and reminded her that at least she would get some money from the Tooth Fairy. She turned to me, rolled her eyes, and said, "Mom, seriously. There is no Tooth Fairy."
I argued, "Of course there is. How do you think that money gets under your pillow in the middle of the night??" "You do it," she replied.
At that point she was about to leave the room, still ranting about it and spilling the beans to her younger sisters. So, I had to stop her and confess. I knew moments like these would come and I was prepared to feel sad myself. I was not prepared for her tears, though. Yep- she cried. Just a little, but still she cried.
Not until then had I thought about it from her perspective. To me, it was a sign that my biggest baby was growing up a little more. But, for her, a fantastical piece of her childhood was over and she knew it. It was a not-so-sweet dose of reality.
It is hard for parents to watch their babies grow up, but sometimes we forget that it can be tough for them, too.
Well, we still have Santa and the Easter Bunny. . . . at least for now.
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