I was at lunch the other day with someone I only see occasionally. He glanced up from his meal and smiled, "Do you still tell your kids that their arms are going to fall off?"
I get that kind of question a lot. A few years ago, when my youngest was four or so, I asked him what he wanted from the Limb Fairy.
"What's the Limb Fairy?"
"You know how your brothers got money from the Tooth Fairy?"
"Yes."
"Well," I said, "when you get older you lose your limbs just like you do your teeth."
He looked a little nervous but asked, "What's a limb?"
"Those are your arms and legs. As you get bigger, your baby limbs fall off and your big boy limbs grow out instead."
"They do not," he said, with a mixture of disbelief and disgust.
"Sure they do," I replied. "Look at your arms. How could those ever get big enough on their own?"
"You're lying."
"I wouldn't lie to you sweetheart. It's a special time. It's when the Limb Fairy comes. If you put your baby arm under the pillow, the Limb Fairy will take it and leave you a present."
"Mom!" he shrieked, in more than a little panic. "Is there a Limb Fairy?"
My wife glared at me. "What have I told you about your father?"
"Ignore him?"
"That's right. Just ignore him."
It was fun while it lasted.
Tuesday, March 27, 2007
Parent Of The Year, Part 4
Posted by Snag at 9:10 PM
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2 comments:
Niiiiice. This is reminding me of being 3 and the family friend who told me that if I continued to suck my thumb, it would fall off... it was already perilously loose unlike his, which was virtually immovable. He never mentioned a thumb fairy so I guess once mine fell off, they were gone for good.
I've still got them, but they are still dangerously loose even though I haven't misused them in decades.
None of mine were ever thumbsuckers. The oldest because he's wound too tight, the two younger ones because it would have been seen as a sign of weakness.
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