Losing Teeth

So my daughter lost her first tooth yesterday. I arrived to pick her up from school. They were outside of their daycare room playing with a homemade Hoolahoop that one of the parents had given to the class. My daughter saw me and whipped over to proudly show me the little gap in the bottom front of her teeth.

"When did it come out?" I asked.

"During Senior Swenson's class" she smiled, probing the void with a finger. She handed me the little Tupperware container which held her tooth.

I opened it up and peeked inside, sort of expecting to see this immense white thing. It was tiny! I closed it up, smiled at her and gave her a warm hug of congratulations.

She had watched so many of her classmates show off their lost teeth; hoping it would be her turn next. Today was her day. She gleefully displayed her prize and with childhood drama regaled her journey to anyone in close proximity.

As we drove home, though, my daughter spoke of her classmate and friend, Analise.

"Analise was sad today." she said quietly

"why?" I asked.

"She hasn't lost her first tooth yet. She's afraid that she'll be the last in the class to lose her tooth." my daughter said

"Oh." I replied, lost with what to say.

"Today she watched me with my tooth and was sad. " she stated introspectively. Through the rear view mirror, I watched my daughter grow emotionally as she looked thoughtfully out the side window.

I decided not to say more and let her be with her feelings.

A little ways from our house, she and I were talking more about her day.

"So you lost your tooth in Senior Swenson's class?" I asked, hoping for more details. For some reason, I had the impression that her teacher had helped her with her tooth.

"Yea, it was in his class." she said matter of factly "I was playing with it. So I just twisted and pulled and it came out."

Images of her sitting in her kindergarten chair, concentration on her face as she pulled her tooth with an audible 'Pop!' flooded over me as I drove.

Too much information I thought. Then out of nothing came my own long forgotten memory.
I was young and in some class. My tooth was loose and I was playing with it absentmindedly. I myself twisted it and felt no pain. Suddenly a little twang of tension and the tooth was in my hand.

The rest of the trip was spent in mutual introspective silence.