I will never understand why God thought it was a good idea to give mothers the maternal instinct to hoard teeth. 😂 I threw away a collection of my oldest’s when we moved and I don’t plan on keeping any more. Except my youngest recently knocked out his front tooth, roots and all, and I might keep that one for him to take to show and tell someday. Lol.
I love this so much. 💛 I’ve had many of these same thoughts and feelings. Years ago, I didn’t know what to do with the first lost tooth, so in a panic of indecision, I just put it in my nightstand, planning to decide later. Well, the kids found it, and then had a lot of questions about the tooth fairy. 😂 From then on, I let myself feel the little pang of sadness when I collected it from under their pillow, and then threw it in the trash. 🤪
Ohhh no, haha! This is too funny, Stacy. I love how you explain your letting go process: "I let myself feel the little pang of sadness", and then just let go! That. Exactly that.
THIS IS SO GOOD. There’s a molar sitting in my jewelry tray right now, cracked right in half, and I’ve been contemplating writing a poem about baby teeth all week. I think this essay is a sign from the universe that I should get on that.
This really stirred something in me. My boys are 4 and 1, and the 4 year old just seems too old lately. Also if you store teeth, please don’t forget about them for the next homeowner to find! We are renovating a 1950s farmhouse and when I demo-ed a half bath, I found about a dozen baby teeth on top of the medicine cabinet.
I think it means you’re a mother. 🥹 (Although I love that you have multiple baggies all over the house... gave me a good chuckle 😂) Thanks for reading, Ashley!
1. Krista, this was next level good. Absolutely stunning writing and composition. Could be in an essay collection book you put together someday ;)
2. I let my boys decide what to do with their own teeth. They have “special bins” and I resist the desire to control what they think is special. I do that by not looking very much 😂 They have not wanted to let go of them, so I allow them that choice. Someday, I know they will...one of us will clean out those bins. They won’t make it to college with them...but for now, they get to carry on as junk drawer relics of their childhood until that chapter closes.
3. The actual act of losing teeth is nightmarish to me and so I run away and make my husband deal with any and all teeth pulling. I plug my ears, hide, hum sweet songs to distract myself. It is garish and brutal sometimes, but when it’s all over, they are so proud ✨
My grandmother had jewelry made out of some teeth and I had a ring with my first tooth in it. As a kid, I wore it so proudly! But then later on other kids would be disgusted and ask why in earth I had a ring with my tooth in it. Needless to say, I stopped wearing it 😅😬
My daughter lost her first tooth a couple of months ago and she's keeping it in a little jar but only because she wants to! I'm not going to be making her jewelry out of it, because now as an adult it grossed me out 😂
I love that those jewelry pieces were special to you and you wore it PROUD (at least for awhile). :) I love that your daughter also feels the importance of that milestone and is choosing to keep it, herself. Thanks for reading, Kym!
This was a masterpiece. I laughed and I cried. I registered my son for kindergarten on Thursday, and I’ve been thinking a lot about milestones too. And letting go and holding on. And how I want to be alone but also how I never want my children to leave me.
My mom kept our baby teeth and my sister in law was horrified when my brother was going to take all his baby teeth and move it across the country with them after they married. With baby teeth, I have a very vivid image of a scene in a Gillian Flynn novel.
"And how I want to be alone but also how I never want my children to leave me." This, exactly. The push-pull. Always. (So funny about your SIL. I feel like things with baby teeth can get weird quickly. LOL about the Gillian Flynn novel. I have not read that....but yikes!)
"Sure. Sure, sure, sure. I am saying to myself, as if this information is all very casual and not at all alarming." lololololol*sob* Yes this. Exactly.
I love this SO MUCH. One of my favorite things you've ever written. Though, full disclosure: I throw the baby teeth away. I cradle it in my hand for a few minutes, then close my eyes and toss it away. And then don't think about it too hard.
Shannon!!! This is so kind. 🥹 Thanks for cheering me on. Between you and Stacy, I do feel like I’ll end up throwing at least some away after holding space for my feelings about it. That feels right.
My oldest just started losing her baby teeth, so I feel these feelings! She actually refused to put her first two under her pillow - she wanted to keep them herself. 😂 I guess she was having a hard time letting go of babyhood too! When she lost her 3rd tooth, she was finally ready to give it away to the tooth fairy.
My son turns 2 this week and somehow my daughter is already 6 weeks old. Even though I’m years away from the choice of keeping baby teeth or not, I feel this so much. The only thing keeping me from melting down over the fact that my baby boy is about to be 2 is the fact that I’ve got his baby sister to snuggle. Beautiful and so relatable.
Exactly. It's not just the teeth--it's every "small" landmark we pass (that, fwiw, is never as small as we think it will be)! I'm so grateful this resonated with you. Thanks for reading!
Ahh, I am crying. This is so good and so relatable and beautiful. My oldest wanted to be the one to keep her teeth (am I terrible for not doing the tooth fairy?), so we placated her until I felt like it was just encouraging her latent hoarding tendencies, so we finally got rid of them. I haven’t kept my youngest’s teeth, but it was definitely a conversation. It’s so hard to let go, but if we love them well, like you said, they will come back.
"I live daily in the space between joy and grief"--a perfect encapsulation of motherhood. And the losing of baby teeth is right on that knife edge. Beautifully written story, Krista.
This is SO gorgeous. The whole tooth losing thing (I have a six year old) totally threw me for an unexpected loop and you articulated it all so beautifully ❤️❤️
I will never understand why God thought it was a good idea to give mothers the maternal instinct to hoard teeth. 😂 I threw away a collection of my oldest’s when we moved and I don’t plan on keeping any more. Except my youngest recently knocked out his front tooth, roots and all, and I might keep that one for him to take to show and tell someday. Lol.
Lolol there is a real big creep factor, I get it! 😂 That’s so funny about show and tell... what an awesome idea tbh.
I love this so much. 💛 I’ve had many of these same thoughts and feelings. Years ago, I didn’t know what to do with the first lost tooth, so in a panic of indecision, I just put it in my nightstand, planning to decide later. Well, the kids found it, and then had a lot of questions about the tooth fairy. 😂 From then on, I let myself feel the little pang of sadness when I collected it from under their pillow, and then threw it in the trash. 🤪
Ohhh no, haha! This is too funny, Stacy. I love how you explain your letting go process: "I let myself feel the little pang of sadness", and then just let go! That. Exactly that.
It does get easier with each kid. 😉 My mom saved my baby teeth and when she showed them to me as an adult I was nothing short of horrified. 😆
THIS IS SO GOOD. There’s a molar sitting in my jewelry tray right now, cracked right in half, and I’ve been contemplating writing a poem about baby teeth all week. I think this essay is a sign from the universe that I should get on that.
Do it! I can't wait to read it, Lorren!
This really stirred something in me. My boys are 4 and 1, and the 4 year old just seems too old lately. Also if you store teeth, please don’t forget about them for the next homeowner to find! We are renovating a 1950s farmhouse and when I demo-ed a half bath, I found about a dozen baby teeth on top of the medicine cabinet.
Hahahahaha oh my GOSH. Truly a horrifying find!! That is outrageous. I’ll be thinking about that for awhile 😂 Thanks for reading, Delta.
What does it mean that I have, I don’t even know how many, baby teeth in little snack size bags in random drawers in our closet 🫣
Your writing is just so lovely and relatable.❤️
I think it means you’re a mother. 🥹 (Although I love that you have multiple baggies all over the house... gave me a good chuckle 😂) Thanks for reading, Ashley!
1. Krista, this was next level good. Absolutely stunning writing and composition. Could be in an essay collection book you put together someday ;)
2. I let my boys decide what to do with their own teeth. They have “special bins” and I resist the desire to control what they think is special. I do that by not looking very much 😂 They have not wanted to let go of them, so I allow them that choice. Someday, I know they will...one of us will clean out those bins. They won’t make it to college with them...but for now, they get to carry on as junk drawer relics of their childhood until that chapter closes.
3. The actual act of losing teeth is nightmarish to me and so I run away and make my husband deal with any and all teeth pulling. I plug my ears, hide, hum sweet songs to distract myself. It is garish and brutal sometimes, but when it’s all over, they are so proud ✨
1. SO kind, Sara! I would love if that would come true someday.
2. Love it. "I do that by not looking very much" LOL I applaud this level of self-control.
3. This is understandable to me. It is not a very neat ordeal, is it?
My grandmother had jewelry made out of some teeth and I had a ring with my first tooth in it. As a kid, I wore it so proudly! But then later on other kids would be disgusted and ask why in earth I had a ring with my tooth in it. Needless to say, I stopped wearing it 😅😬
My daughter lost her first tooth a couple of months ago and she's keeping it in a little jar but only because she wants to! I'm not going to be making her jewelry out of it, because now as an adult it grossed me out 😂
I love that those jewelry pieces were special to you and you wore it PROUD (at least for awhile). :) I love that your daughter also feels the importance of that milestone and is choosing to keep it, herself. Thanks for reading, Kym!
The peer pressure got too much 😉🙈 thanks for your beautiful words!
This was a masterpiece. I laughed and I cried. I registered my son for kindergarten on Thursday, and I’ve been thinking a lot about milestones too. And letting go and holding on. And how I want to be alone but also how I never want my children to leave me.
My mom kept our baby teeth and my sister in law was horrified when my brother was going to take all his baby teeth and move it across the country with them after they married. With baby teeth, I have a very vivid image of a scene in a Gillian Flynn novel.
"And how I want to be alone but also how I never want my children to leave me." This, exactly. The push-pull. Always. (So funny about your SIL. I feel like things with baby teeth can get weird quickly. LOL about the Gillian Flynn novel. I have not read that....but yikes!)
"Sure. Sure, sure, sure. I am saying to myself, as if this information is all very casual and not at all alarming." lololololol*sob* Yes this. Exactly.
I love this SO MUCH. One of my favorite things you've ever written. Though, full disclosure: I throw the baby teeth away. I cradle it in my hand for a few minutes, then close my eyes and toss it away. And then don't think about it too hard.
Shannon!!! This is so kind. 🥹 Thanks for cheering me on. Between you and Stacy, I do feel like I’ll end up throwing at least some away after holding space for my feelings about it. That feels right.
My oldest just started losing her baby teeth, so I feel these feelings! She actually refused to put her first two under her pillow - she wanted to keep them herself. 😂 I guess she was having a hard time letting go of babyhood too! When she lost her 3rd tooth, she was finally ready to give it away to the tooth fairy.
Cute! It definitely is such a big milestone for them. But sounds like third time’s a charm. 🙃 Thangs for reading, Lauren!
Krista, this is truly the best thing I read all month. Thank you for writing it. <3
Molly, thank you for saying this. I'm so glad you enjoyed it!
My son turns 2 this week and somehow my daughter is already 6 weeks old. Even though I’m years away from the choice of keeping baby teeth or not, I feel this so much. The only thing keeping me from melting down over the fact that my baby boy is about to be 2 is the fact that I’ve got his baby sister to snuggle. Beautiful and so relatable.
Exactly. It's not just the teeth--it's every "small" landmark we pass (that, fwiw, is never as small as we think it will be)! I'm so grateful this resonated with you. Thanks for reading!
Love this. I have stashes of a few kids’ teeth in old medicine bottles. But I’m not about to make a doll with either!! What the Scooby Doo...? 🫣🤣
Bahahaha that was the weirdest comment on the Reddit thread, by far. Truly, *why*?
Ahh, I am crying. This is so good and so relatable and beautiful. My oldest wanted to be the one to keep her teeth (am I terrible for not doing the tooth fairy?), so we placated her until I felt like it was just encouraging her latent hoarding tendencies, so we finally got rid of them. I haven’t kept my youngest’s teeth, but it was definitely a conversation. It’s so hard to let go, but if we love them well, like you said, they will come back.
Such a beautiful way you said that, Erin. Also lol at “latent hoarding tendencies” 😂 Wow do I feel that.
"I live daily in the space between joy and grief"--a perfect encapsulation of motherhood. And the losing of baby teeth is right on that knife edge. Beautifully written story, Krista.
This is SO gorgeous. The whole tooth losing thing (I have a six year old) totally threw me for an unexpected loop and you articulated it all so beautifully ❤️❤️