We all have had that moment when things did not go as planned. We also, for whatever reason, get mom brain that never goes away. Therefore we are going to mess up something. But we have to take comfort in the fact that we are not alone. There are millions of us out there. Some events you may not admit to, and some events everyone in your mom squad knows about. But it is okay to laugh at yourself and move on. Because regardless of whether it will be something your children will remember, it will be a memory of your lifetime.
I myself have had “a few” mom fails. I recently had the ultimate mom fail that I will not let myself ever forget. I say “ultimate” because this event not only happened, but it also continued to snowball downhill not twice or even three times, but FOUR times. Yes, four times I have made a disastrous mess of the tooth fairy.
Mom Fail Number One
It all began with my daughter’s very first loose tooth. I wanted to get her something special, a tradition so to speak, to have as a memorable experience of the tooth fairy. That is when I found her: A fairy doll that flies to your home when your child’s tooth is loose, and when the tooth comes out you place it in her crown so she can take it to fairy land. Simple enough, right?
My daughter was so thrilled when her doll arrived. She named her Elena, and our wonderful experience began. The first four teeth went over great, no problems. Then the fifth tooth came out, so we placed it in Elena’s crown and off she was supposed to go. The next morning, my daughter came running in my room crying. She explained to me that Elena never left. Mom fail number one.
I explained to her that Elena was so warm and comfortable in her bed that she overslept. That calmed her down, and Elena left while she was at school.
Mom Fail Number Two
It took a while for the next tooth to come out, but it finally happened. So that morning, I put Elena on her bed and continued to get ready for work, and my daughter ran into my room upset. Apparently, Elena forgot to take the previous tooth back to fairy land. Mom fail number two.
I came up with a lame excuse to calm her down, and we taped the tooth to Elena’s purse and waited for the next tooth to fall out so she could take both teeth back to fairy land. So again Elena left, this time with TWO teeth, back to fairy land.
Mom Fail Number Three
A few months down the road, the next tooth came loose, and Elena returned. Previous tooth out of crown; check! So I laid Elena on her bed and continued to get ready for work. Once again, she comes running into my room. What happend now? Elena took the tooth from the crown but forgot about the tooth taped to her purse. Mom fail number three.
I seriously cannot get this tooth fairy thing down. This doll has added to my mom failure list, and I am over it. Unfortunately, I am in too deep. My daughter already thinks Elena doesn’t like her teeth because she forgets them.
Mom Fail Number Four
So she finally lost the most recent tooth and placed it in Elena’s crown. She then explained that she will sleep on the floor so Elena does not get too comfortable and oversleeps again. My husband and I told her she could not do that, but when I woke the next morning to get Elena, my daughter was on the floor. The ultimate mom fail number four. Because of my forgetfulness, my sweet daughter was asleep on the cold floor. No words could express my anger to myself.
But at the end of the day, I have to see this as an experience that hopefully she will not be too mad at me about when she finds out the truth. And just like my mother did for me — and I do for her — hopefully she will also do it for her own children.
