My little tooth fairy

Everyone who knows my 8-year-old daughter Mika, knows that she is quite amazing. She’s incredibly smart, has an uncanny ability to connect seemingly disparate concepts (for example, she just equated the way recipes and cooking methods evolve over time, to the way folktales change as people relate them to each other – forgetting parts and adding new parts), she has exceptional social skills and is a great kid. I love hearing how her little mind works – what concepts she takes to, and which ones she rejects.
At this age, she strongly identifies with me and is, therefore, a profound atheist (I’d even say a virulent atheist, but that’s something we’re working on). She is very much into science and the notion of “evidence”, rejecting beliefs when there is not evidence to prove them (thus her rejection of god/gods). BUT, she’s still a kid and wants to hold on to some magical beliefs. In particular, she believes in Santa Claus, the tooth fairy and unicorns.
With respect to Santa Claus and the Tooth Fairy, she has evidence of their existence. After all, she gets presents from Santa for Christmas and money under her pillow when she loses a tooth (enormous amounts of money, the tooth fairy never seems to have change when needed). Who can argue against that? She has postulated the notion that we might be the ones leaving the presents/money – but she has never asked outright, which makes me think that she wants to hold on to the fantasy. As for unicorns, she thinks nobody has ever seen them because they are very shy 🙂
Mike went away to a conference for a few days last week, so the girls spent at least part of the night sleeping on my bed. Saturday morning, Camila (who is 5) and I awoke to Mika’s excited voice “Look, Camila, there is something under your pillow”. It was an envelope – addressed to Camila from the Tooth Fairy. Inside there was a dollar, some stickers and a Hello Kitty writing pad! Camila had not lost a tooth, but she was super excited all the same!!! To be finally be visited by the Tooth Fairy! Mika was so cute, making gestures to let me know it had really been her and making sure I wouldn’t say anything 🙂
She did give herself up later on when she mentioned that she had no money because she had given it all to Camila. Camila figured out that the money she got must have come from Mika, not the tooth fairy (she’s smart too!), but I can’t imagine a sweeter action than to bring a little bit of magic to her sister.
Despite how much the two of them fight (mostly because Camila is an attention monster, and she becomes annoying/mean when Mika doesn’t pay enough attention to her), it’s amazing just how much they love each other – and what a great big sister Mika is.