Why I’m Not A Children’s Writer

December 21st, 2004 · No Comments
by Jill Monroe

It’s been an exciting time around the Monroe household. Our youngest finally lost that first tooth. It was a very stubborn tooth, been loose for over a month. By the end, it was barely hanging on. The oldest kept giving pieces of advice, each more horrifying than the last. “Let’s get the pliers” “Let’s tie it to a doorknob and close the door” Finally with eyes closed, youngest consented to letting my husband gently tug. It came out and she didn’t even know it.

Now the hard part began. Youngest and oldest conspired in their room together and wrote a long, I mean really long letter to the Tooth Fairy. I expected the usual “Where do you put the teeth?” kind of question. By the way, the answer to that can be found with a simple google seach – it’s on a pink cloud behind a rainbow (but have since found other explanations).

But the other questions were tough. Where does she live? Is her house fancy? What does she eat? How does she eat it? What does she sleep on? Could she leave a picture? The questions went on for two pages. I read this letter with mounting horror. The “Tooth Fairy” had to answer these questions with just the right amount of whimsy and fantasy.

This clearly illustrates why I am *NOT* a children’s writer.

I looked at the dh. He backed away quickly. Have I mentioned he’s an engineer?

All in all, I think the response letter came out pretty good. I did have to do a little help the next morning. “Mommy, why do you think her house is made of pine cones?” “Maybe because she lives in the forest?” Lots of little nods. Must have made sense. Whew. The children did make a pallet for the Tooth Fairy to sleep on – she snagged the red pompom pillow.

File Under: Jill's First Blog