During a year full of questions from our children (“Will Santa still be able to visit me in the coronavirus season? What if he can’t go to anyone’s house, or close to his reindeer?”), Adults around the world understood that embracing science does not mean abandoning the magic of childhood.
Dr. Anthony Fauci assured the children that he had vaccinated Santa Claus against COVID-19.
Last spring, while implementing countrywide restrictions that successfully controlled the spread of COVID-19, New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern addressed issues that were troubling her younger constituents: “You will be pleased to know that we consider both the Tooth Fairy and the Easter Bunny to be essential workers, “she said.
And last month, in Prince George, western Canada, Deputy Director Shandee Whitehead faced a tooth fairy crisis when five-year-old Gavin Jensen lost his front tooth … twice.
“I don’t know if he fell backwards or forwards; we were looking for him when he was out there,” said Jensen.
“When I entered the classroom, he was very upset,” said Whitehead. “We look at the ceiling, we look at the floor, we look to the left, we look to the right.”
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Since the beginning of the pandemic, our children have had to endure many changes, which makes it more important than ever that they know that there are some things they can always take to the bank.
Then, like Mary Poppins, Whitehead reached into his magic bag of tricks and pulled out a standard letter to the Tooth Fairy that a father had given him two years earlier.
“I was confirming that I was really lost,” explained Whitehead.
She wrote, on official school letterhead:
“Despite the heroic efforts of a fearless search team, we were unable to recover [the tooth]. As a trained deputy director and amateur dentist, I can see that there is definitely a gap in Gavin’s teeth that wasn’t there this morning when he came in. Accept this letter as official verification of a missing tooth and provide the standard currency exchange rate that you normally use for an actual tooth. “
Hart Highlands Elementary School
“When I woke up in the morning, the Tooth Fairy really showed up!” Jensen said. “And I took the coin! It was a gold and silver coin!”
Whitehead ended his letter with a PS:
“I’m still waiting for the money for my wisdom teeth from 2000. Please pay as soon as possible. I have bills to pay.”
“I had my wisdom teeth pulled out and got nothing!” she said.
A sweet reminder that by keeping magic alive for our children, we are also keeping it alive for ourselves.
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Story produced by Jon Carras. Editor: Chad Cardin.