MARK MY WORD: LOSING A TOOTH BRINGS MORE THAN LOOSE CHANGE

Teeth have become a virtual gold mine for today's youngsters.

Just ask our oldest daughter, Becca.

Our 6-year-old lost her first baby tooth the other day, leaving a gap in her smile.

But Becca couldn't have been happier. She couldn't wait to put the small, bottom tooth under her pillow.

She was contemplating the pay off even before she lost the tooth. She kept wiggling the tooth for days before it finally broke free.

The tooth fell out while Joni and Becca were walking through the video tape department at the local supermarket.

The store staff, at Joni's request, provided them with a small bag in which to safely transport the tooth home.

At home, we transferred it to a plastic, sandwich bag for safe keeping. Becca paraded around, holding the bag with the tiny, white tooth.

"I have a window in my teeth," she proudly proclaimed.

At bedtime, we momentarily misplaced the tooth, creating major consternation in our household.

Fortunately, we found it still in the bag.

We put the tooth under Becca's pillow. Becca had trouble getting to sleep. She was so excited about the thought of making money from the tooth fairy.

"The tooth fairy won't come if you don't go to sleep," I warned. Finally, she went to sleep.

In the morning, she awoke to discover that the tooth fairy had left her two, $1 bills. She was ecstatic.

"Look what the tooth fairy left," she screamed with delight.

"That's a lot more than when I was a kid," I pointed out. "Teeth used to be worth 10 cents."

Becca eyed me with disbelief. She couldn't imagine teeth were ever that cheap.

Meanwhile, I was wondering how the tooth fairy could afford a full set of teeth for Becca and still have any money left for younger daughter Bailey when she reaches a similar stage.

Becca has begun calculating just how many teeth she'll have to lose to bankroll her next toy purchase. I imagine Donald Trump started out the same way.

Even Bailey is catching the loose-tooth fever. "I have a loose tooth too," she excitedly tells us with the sincerity that only a 2-year-old can bring to fiction.

As a child, I pictured the tooth fairy as a guy with winged feet, like the statue of the Roman god, Mercury, who graced my parents' living room desk.

Joni always thought of the tooth fairy as Tinker Bell, small in stature but mighty with money.

Of course, back then, a quarter was a fortune to a 6-year-old.

Despite losing a tooth and temporarily resembling a hockey player, Becca's social life hasn't suffered.

In fact, she has a better social life than her mom and dad.

She had to turn down an invitation to play with one of her friends the other day because she was going to the park with another friend and that friend's family.

Another of her friends lives right behind us. She and Becca are forever making visits to each other's homes, where they often exchange play clothes.

In this case, our jobs as parents is to lift the children over the fence that separates our two yards. I'm thinking of putting in some permanent steps to make the whole endeavor easier.

At Becca's age, socializing doesn't require a lot of cash.

But when she reaches that stage, I'm sure she'll readily ask the tooth fairy for some spending money.

I just hope it will fit under the pillow.

~Mark Bliss is a staff writer for the Southeast Missourian.