Growing Up

Today was rather full of milestones, some more significant than others.

Today was Clara's birthday. Our fuzzy puppy is now a year old, although she's still very much a puppy. She celebrated with some doggie ice cream, which was inhaled rather than savored. I wonder if dogs get brain freezes.

Today was Danielle's 1/2 birthday. I can't believe that's she's going to be 7. I realize it's still 6 months away, but still! She celebrated with a 1/2 pan of brownies, 6 1/2 candles, and 1/2 the birthday song. She gets to take in a birthday treat at school tomorrow, assuming school isn't cancelled with the new wave of snow.

Today was the day Tyler gave up a little bit of his childhood. I suppose that sounds a little dramatic. Maybe it's the day I gave up a little of his childhood. Tyler and I had a heart to heart tonight, where he confessed he no longer believes in the tooth fairy. My goal has been to never directly lie about such characters. Fortunately I've always been able to answer any questions of existence with "Well, what do you believe?" or "Why do you think that?". Tonight he wanted to know the truth. So I told him. I think he was proud of himself for figuring it out. I also explained that this "truth" is something every person must figure out for himself, so he is not allowed to share what we discussed with anyone else. I also explained that if he wants to continue to get money for his teeth, he needs to keep playing the game. I think he understood the importance of keeping his new found knowledge to himself and the importance of playing the game. He got a big smile on his face and said, "When I'm a dad, my kids won't get any money if they don't believe in the tooth fairy!" Not believing in the tooth fairy isn't really that big a deal, although I don't want him to ruin the magic for Danielle. What makes me the saddest is that it's just a matter of time before he makes the connection with Santa.