“Look mom! It’s wiggly!”
“Declan, your teeth will come out when they are ready. I promise!”
Declan’s new favorite thing to watch on You Tube involves children who lose a tooth. I am always surprised how many families:
- Record the event
- Put in on You Tube
- And add MUSIC to the background
My kids must feel so jipped that I have never done so much work for a lost tooth. Let alone remembered to play the Tooth Fairy!
Declan was adamant, though. He stood strong in his Spiderman costume.
“It’s WIGGLY!” He exclaimed and pulled his lower lip down.
And to humor him, I took a step forward and bent over.
There in front of me were a row of teeth. One tooth, was slightly askew. I put my finger on it and pushed. It moved!
“Huh!” I said and raised my eyebrows as I stood up. “Declan, you have a wiggly tooth!”
“Will you tie a string to it and close the door?” He asked with a serious look on his face.
“No! Declan, maybe you should watch some different videos for a little bit….”
It’s Just a Wiggly Tooth!
I’ve thought about the loose tooth a lot this past week.
Declan has a wiggly tooth! He will be six years old in just a couple of weeks. That sounds right. Baby teeth are supposed to come out. He is supposed to lose them.
Yet, I keep coming back to this thought.
“But it’s Declan.”
Things were always different for Declan.
Or really, things always had to be done differently for Declan.
Dentist visits and Dr’s visits took place on the floor.
Any work that needed to be done had to be done with Declan asleep.
Special Education, IEP’s, services out the wazoo, learning how to interact with others, with peers, riding in a car, SLEEP, communication, TRANSITIONS, anger, hitting, play, MELTDOWNS, diapers, constantly seeking sensory input, assessments, appointments, therapies, clothes, foods, meal time, the need for routine.
Needing support and understanding from strangers everywhere we went.
I don’t know – there are so many things that we have simply changed in our house, in our family dynamic and how we function in society that I don’t even realize all of changes (it’s always on vacation, when we our out of routine, out of our home, that I realize how much we changed or added to help Declan).
And it’s all okay. I am so glad we made the changes and accommodated Declan’s needs to help him succeed and become the child he is today. Things were hard for him and we wanted to help him feel better.
But this tooth! It’s not different at all! We are not making any accommodations. We don’t need to call anyone for help. We do not have to have a meeting about it. We do not to add anything. We are not changing anything. His tooth is just going to come out.
And as long as he doesn’t convince anyone to tie a string to his tooth and pull, he will lose the tooth the same way as everyone else.
My hands go to the side – I don’t have to do anything. I can celebrate Declan losing a tooth and not have to think, or worry, or plan…
I am sure there are things that have been done with Declan that there were no differences. But right now, I can’t think of any.
So, I am excited for this tooth to come out. His first tooth to go. I still probably won’t make a You Tube video out of it (unless he does convince one of us to tether his tooth to a doorknob).
But I will take a picture of a grin with one less tooth and a tooth in hand!
Just as long as he doesn’t decide giving the tooth to the tooth fairy isn’t worth the quarter the fairy leaves in return like I did! Kept all my baby teeth in a small container just in case I ever knocked out one of my permanent teeth later down the road…
Fortunately when we traded houses with my father’s parents, my mom found my hiding place and threw my old teeth away. Less than 3 years later, I was in a bicycle accident that damaged my 2 front teeth! Coincidence? I think not! Still have a chipped front tooth due to the crappy job the dentist that fixed my teeth did.
Wow! I didn’t know you could use your old teeth to replace your new ones. I have been an awful tooth fairy through the years. I usually put a couple dollars on the ground after the kids come down with their teeth and tell them “the money must’ve fallen in the night – AND the tooth fairy wants you to keep your tooth!” So they have theirs, to keep!
I love this post!! I want to know how they find some of the stuff on YouTube! Ben has an obsession with clocks right now, Big Ben in particular. He’s found some weird clock related stuff on YouTube. The people making (producing?) videos of losing a tooth obviously don’t have a Declan or a Ben😉 We never saw any of Ben’s baby teeth. He wiggled them out & threw them away. Have fun being “normal”😁
Thank you! Yes, I am always surprised at what I hear him listening to. All I can think half the time is, “Man, that guy must have been bored to record THAT – but geez, Declan sure does love it….” Hoping D shows us the tooth. He’s so excited, I think he will want to show it off. Haha! Thanks! 🙂
Given my experience, each one will come out quicker with more assistance and more blood.
Good to know!
Isobelle still believes in the tooth fairy.
I think Catelyn does too – she’s 9 though. I don’t know if Declan knows about the tooth fairy yet (could be his next costume 🙂 )
That’s nice. Magical
Oh, come on! Post a YouTube video with music in the background 😂😂😂 That’s cute he watches that! My kids watch those videos of kids opening Easter eggs for the toys inside. They can’t get enough of those videos!
My son had a chunk of teeth (4 total) knocked out while playing at the splash pad. So, he’s been ahead of the game on missing teeth. Now, my 4 year old is desperate for a wiggly tooth herself! Every day she has me look at a new tooth which is “for sure ready to come out!” Ha
I know, I should! He would love to watch that video over and over and over and over….He also spends some time watching the Play-doh Surprise eggs. He wanted one of those so bad for Christmas! Ouch! 4 at once! That had to hurt! Hope your 4 year old gets her wiggly tooth soon 🙂
I think I would get “Mom of the year” from them if I were to ever buy them one of those eggs! And, thanks—she is hoping for a wiggly tooth for her 5th bday next month! Ha
Oh that’s a lovely post Robyn. Just fold your hands, be cool and relax 😎😀. My 7yr still believes in tooth fairy so I always try to save up some 10pence for such times. I think Declan might love seeing himself on the video 😉😉😀.
Thank you! That’s great 🙂 I think you’re right. He probably would watch the you tube of himself the most!
Hi Robyn,thanks for following my blog.How many children with autism do you have?
Hello! I have 2 children on the spectrum.
Thank you for your reply Robyn.
My parents believed in the string and doorknob thing, as they were worried that my tooth would come out at night while I was sleeping and that I might choke on it.
There are a lot of parents that feel the same way – I see them all over You Tube! I keep giving Declan an apple to have it come out. It is as wiggly as ever – but still attached!
This is so true. I never thought about it this way. I thought for a second ……..ummmmm I almost forgot kids loose teeth at age 6 I was sooooooo busy working on 📖 reading, socializing, dealing with theripist, making sure we have all the right doctors ect. 🙁
Exactly! And losing a tooth is a big milestone! I don’t want to overlook it because we are too busy. And I want to celebrate it as I did with my first two. It’s just a wiggly tooth that is supposed to come out Yeah!
I just found you by searching the internet. My daughter just called to ask if I had any help or suggestions for her 6 yr old Autistic son, (my oldest grandchild). He is non speaking. They noticed it was loose this morning, just now he tried to eat something and it hurt. Now he’s freaking out. He barely eats many foods as it is, and she doesn’t want him traumatized and refusing to eat at all. She isn’t sure how to handle it, helping him loose this tooth gently, and without trauma. Anyone have any ideas? (I already suggested possibly trying when he’s asleep, but he’s a terrible sleeper, she thinks he’d wake up! Also if he did wake, it would be the end of sleeping that night! ;(