Thinking About Missing Out

So, Luz did loose her tooth while I was in Houston for work last week. I was gone one night, just one, and it happened to be THE night. The build-up was exceptional; the excitement, palpable. The tooth had been wiggled, twisted, coaxed, studied, and discussed for weeks. When I left on Tuesday morning the tooth still appeared firmly planted, at least enough to last another few days. I missed out on the first tooth loss and I sort of understand that losing teeth eventually becomes less exciting, so I really wanted to be a part of this experience, just like I wanted to be a part of so many other milestones and was not. Maybe it was a self-fulfilling prophecy. I always complain about missing out on so much of the wonderful stuff of parenthood because of work, lamenting that it is someone else who fed my kid his/her first spoonful of something sweet or watched chubby, wobbly legs find their footing....ah, so it goes, and I realize it is a tired refrain and that I am not unique.


What I did get was this though:

...a precious gap-toothed smile and a joyous 6 year-old bubbling over with excitement as she described how it happened and what the tooth fairy did and how everything about her day (and night) was almost indescribably incredible. If I had lived it right by her side I would not have had the pleasure of such a heart warming play-by-play of 'The Day I Lost My Second Tooth', by Lucy Vaicius, and for that I am thankful.