$60 a tooth? Plus, my go-to hack for when the fairy forgets
I did everything right this time.
I made sure we had cash in the house. I waited at least an hour to make sure my son was truly asleep. And now I’m army-crawling into his room so I can slip a $10 bill under his pillow.
But my impersonations of the Tooth Fairy don’t always follow this script.
There have been nights when we have to make emergency trips to an ATM because we have no cash on hand.
And occasionally, my son has come to me the next morning, declaring, "She didn’t come!"
That’s when I slip away, steal some cash from wherever I can find it — even if it’s my son’s own wallet — and tuck it under my shirt. Then I walk into his room with him, shake out his blankets, and with slight of hand — release the cash into the sheets. "It’s right there!" I say. "You just didn’t look hard enough."
Hey, it works.
But the biggest lesson I’ve learned regarding the Tooth Fairy, is be careful what you start.
My son in 2021 when he lost his first tooth and then a year later when his first front tooth fell out at school. Credit: Tara Conry
When my son lost his first tooth, I gave him a $20 ... then another $20 for the next one ... this was in 2021, and my husband told me I was nuts to give him so much. After consulting another mom at the time, she said she only gave $5 for the first tooth and then more for molars.
I readjusted and went down to $10. Sometimes it’s less if that’s all we have in the house.
This week, we learned that some parents are giving as much as $60 a tooth.
What’s your Tooth Fairy strategy?
Backlash to classroom tech
Huntington seventh grader Katelynn Biancardo, 13, is among those on Long Island criticizing the i-Ready educational platform. Credit: Newsday/Steve Pfost
We’re not a tech-free house. My 10-year-old son has an iPad, but with screen limits. We’ve held out on getting one for my youngest one. She’s six, but she does borrow my phone to play games and watch YouTube Kids.
My stance on technology is that we live in a world where kids will need to know how to use it and we should try to develop healthy habits around it.
Some parents are concerned with the amount of technology that’s being implemented in their kids’ classrooms, even as young as Kindergarten and particularly the use of the i-Ready diagnostic program, which my kids’ school also uses.
Newsday this week looked at why some Long Island parents want the program out of the classroom.
Outdoor drop-in fitness classes
Lea Esposito, of Manorville, with her daughter Ruby, is among a group of mothers taking part in the Stroller Strong Mamas exercise program started by fitness instructor Rachel Goodale. Credit: Newsday/John Paraskevas
This final stretch of school — between moving up ceremonies, half days, parties and a dance recital — has left me mentally, emotionally and physically exhausted. But I’m hoping to do a reset once school ends and the kids are off to camp, to get back into a fitness routine.
I love instructor-led classes, because I like being pushed to maximize the time I do have to work out. But I don’t love committing to an expensive fitness studio if I don’t know how often I’ll get there. That’s why I’m excited to try some of these drop-in classes. Bonus: They are outdoors so on a beautiful day you don’t have to be stuck inside a gym.
How’s your week going?
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