Friday, November 14, 2008

Do you still believe?

I got to play the Tooth Fairy for the very first time last night. My five-year-old lost his first tooth (he accidentially swallowed it but I convinced him it went down the drain). Instead of being excited, he spent the entire day not smiling or talking and wouldn't eat in front of anyone but me. I'm pretty sure the note TF left about how cool he looks now and the five bucks convinced him that he doesn't look any different than the rest of his Mike Tyson looking classmates.

As I was slipping the note and five bucks underneath his pillow I got to thinking about how magical it used to be before I knew that the Tooth Fairy, Easter Bunny, and Santa were actually just my parents. I remember one year my stepmom saved some snow in the freezer and made rabbit footprints on the carpet before I woke up to find my Easter basket.



I can't remember exactly how old I was before I learned the truth. I know that I knew the year the Cabbage Patch Kids were the hot item. I was twelve that year. And even though I knew Santa wasn't real (after finding a gift I left him and the wrapping paper my gifts were in in my Mom's closet) I still thought maybe I was wrong and he would pull through that year. I remember being really little and barely waking up to see the back of Santa's red suit tiptoeing out of my bedroom. That is one of the coolest memories I have. I found out later that it was my mom in her red robe.
I don't think kids believe as long these days which makes me sad. They seem to be growing up faster and faster. But for now, the magic is still alive at the Hale household and I'm hoping to keep it that way for a long time. When did you stop believing? Do you remember how you found out your favorite make believe character wasn't real?

What I'm reading now...Good Luck by Whitney Gaskill
xo,
Stephanie

6 comments:

Marley Gibson said...

My cousin Ben ratted out Santa when we were about 10 years old. He said, "Go sleep with your parents and see what they do in the middle of the night!" I've never forgiven him. LOL!

TinaFerraro said...

I'm sorry to say I have no memory of believing. An older girl told me when I was only 4! Even though my mother hotly denied it, I was from then-on wise.

Some could argue I found my magical fantasy world in other ways (says the woman who writes about pink dresses, goodbye-for-now kisses and first loves...) Haha.

The (Mis)Adventures of a Single City Chick said...

I don't remember my exact age, but I got a phone call from one of my little neighborhood friends one day in December and she was saying something about Martians kidnapping Santa Claus. I was so upset at the thought, that I didn't quite hear the rest, which basically was her inviting me over to watch this B movie on tv with her. My mom had to phone her mother and find out why I was crying. By the time it was explained to me it was just a pretend tv show and I went over to watch it, my friend had pretty much told me Santa didn't exist. Damn Martians.

Christina said...

I think I was eight when my cousin told me that her dad had a Santa costume in the attic. I must have argued with her for half an hour. After that I figured out about the Tooth fairy and the Easter bunny.

goooooood girl said...

your blog is very good......

Me said...

What a lovely post, Steph. I don't remember when I finally didn't believe in Santa, I know it was kind of a lingering doubt rather than an, "Aha, I know the truth!" My parents were happy to keep up the charade long after I knew (probably because I didn't tell them).