Laiyane's First Tooth and 10,000 Ariary

It was late at night of May 7, 2009.

When Simon and I came back home, the babysitter, Josianne told us that Laiyane's tooth fell out!

Laiyane is 6 1/2 years old, and most of her classmates already had their tooth fairy’s visits, it was only natural for her to get very anxious to loose her first tooth since the beginning of the school year. Josianne wraped the tooth with sewing thread, and pulled it out, with no fuss, no pain. As I was watching Laiyane sleeping that night, with her precious tooth under her pillow, I could not help but revisiting all the lovely milestones that she has set out so far. I remember her beautiful smile with her jewel like first tooth. Her first walk. The first ride on a little yellow toy car. The first day at school. I wanted her first fairy's visit to be extra special.

I don't remember my tooth fairy visit, perhaps it's not in Korean tradition (I should confirm this with my parents though...) but my Canadian born friends' told me about their experiences. Tooth fairy would come and leave little coins under the pillow.

In Madagascar, little coins worth nothing. Stores won't even take them, because you can't even buy a pack of chewing gum with them. For Laiyane, who doesn't know the value of money yet, I didn't want her to race to a store with her proud earned money, and face the cold reality. So the tooth fairy left a brand new 10,000 ariary bill (equivalent to about 6 dollars? enough to buy 2 packs of gums, and 2 packs of juice)

I waited for the morning as much as Laiyane did. The first discovery of tooth's fairy's visit! I heard Laiyane searching under her pillow, and little footsteps marching into our bedroom in hurry. Her eyes almost filled up with tears from disappointment, with her chocked up voice, she announced the sad news. "The fairy forgot to leave me money... there is just this paper in an envelope..." and she pulled out the bill.

What was I thinking? To Laiyane, the paper money was worthless. Just a piece of a paper, she called it. She has waited for the shiny coins. The "real" money, like in her storybooks...

I remember when I was little, on a new year’s day, families would give their little children money as part of the annual celebration. I was about Laiyane’s age, and I would go to a store, to exchange all my paper bills with the smallest coins possible (just because it fills up my pockets more.) Then I would speed-walk around the block admiring the clinking sound of coins, feeling so much grown up, and important, as if I was an adult already.