JUST LAUGH

My mom has always told us that freckles are angel kisses. It was a sweet way to explain to us, as children, why we developed freckles and always made us feel better about the tiny brown spots covering our noses and arms. Since I've had my own children my mom has continued the tradition of her unique explanation for the freckles covering our bodies. On a visit to our house earlier this year, my mom told my boys about all her "angel kisses" and told them that they would be getting some too! They were excited! When you tell things like this to your children you know they hear you in the moment but you're never sure how much they're actually taking into their memory, long term. Well, Grandma Pennie's explanation sure stuck with Maddox! A couple of weeks ago, Ashtyn was playing video games in the office and was fairly quiet...which isn't that unusual for him. Ash is, however, a very big worrier. He unfortunately got that from his mama and he'll often worry over the smallest things that turn out to be nothing simply because he's too afraid to ask for an answer or explanation. On this day, Ash came walking into the living room with a very worried look on his face. It was obvious there was something weighing heavily on his mind. Ash walked up to me and told me there was something wrong with his tooth. He bared his teeth at me and pointed to his large, over sized, grown-up tooth right in the front. With his eyes wide, he spoke through gritted teeth trying to convey to me that there was a black spot on his tooth. I had to look pretty closely to see what was bothering Ash so very much but I was able to see the little black dot nestled right in the crevice where Ashtyn's front tooth meets his gum. He was pointing and grunting and trying his best to speak. Thankfully I was able to understand him. During this time, Maddox too had emerged from the office and was coming over to see what all the fuss was about. As he walked up on the situation, he looked at Ash, saw the spot, looked at me and then said very matter-of-factly "IT'S JUST A KISS FROM THE TOOTH FAIRY!!" Ha!! Oh wow!! Well, that makes perfect sense I guess. If a freckle is a kiss from an angel then a spot on your tooth must certainly be a kiss from the tooth fairy!! You've gotta love the mind of a child. Thankfully, upon closer inspection, Ash turned out to have nothing but a tiny fleck of pepper stuck to his tooth and after a good brushing he was good as new!

September 2012