Chenford family

The Tooth Fairy's Expensive Mix-Up

It was a milestone moment for six-year-old Alexander: his first loose tooth was ready to come out. With a bit of parental ingenuity and a dash of Nerf dart magic, Tim had tied the tooth securely to a foam dart, and with a quick countdown, Alexander took aim and—pop!—the tooth came flying out, clinking softly as it hit the floor. Alexander cheered, Eliana clapped in awe, and Tim gave a proud high-five, assuring Alexander that the tooth fairy would be very pleased.

That night, Alexander slipped his tooth under his pillow with careful excitement. Meanwhile, Tim and Lucy busied themselves putting the older boys—Tayden, Ethan, Oliver, and William—to bed. Once the house was quiet, Tim found a bill to slip under Alexander's pillow. After some late-night talk and a few cherished moments alone, Tim and Lucy finally drifted off to sleep.

The next morning began like any other, with Tim and Lucy in the kitchen preparing breakfast. Until—

Alexander- (from upstairs) AHHHHHHH!

The unmistakable sound of a gleeful scream echoed through the house. Tim and Lucy shared a quick laugh, figuring it was just the tooth fairy excitement kicking in. Moments later, Alexander bounded down the stairs, beaming, holding up... a crisp $100 bill.

Alexander- (grinning ear-to-ear) Look what the tooth fairy left me!

Lucy's eyes went wide as she looked at Tim in shock. It was unmistakable—they'd accidentally left a hundred-dollar bill under Alexander's pillow instead of the usual five. Tayden, already seated and munching his cereal, immediately perked up.

Tayden- (indignant) What?! The tooth fairy left you a hundred dollars? I only got five bucks when I lost my first tooth!

Lucy shot Tim a look that was equal parts disbelief and amusement as she quickly tried to recover.

Lucy- (quickly) Oh, wow, Alex! Well, maybe the tooth fairy made a little... mistake?

Tim- (nodding, trying to sound confident) Yeah, buddy, sometimes the tooth fairy has a lot of kids to visit, and every once in a while, she might grab the wrong bill from her purse.

Tayden- (glaring) That's not fair! If he gets a hundred bucks, then I should get more next time too! Right, Dad?

Tim tried to calm the budding chaos as Alexander clutched his windfall, looking thrilled but now a bit concerned about Tayden's scowl. Meanwhile, Ethan and Oliver, lured by the commotion, joined the conversation.

Ethan- (suspiciously) Wait, why does Alex get so much? I want a hundred bucks too!

Oliver- (folding his arms) Yeah, tooth fairy's gotta be fair, right?

Tim and Lucy exchanged glances, realizing they'd created a tooth fairy nightmare. Lucy knelt down to Alexander's level, gently patting his shoulder.

Lucy- (soothingly) Sweetie, how about this—we'll write a little note to the tooth fairy tonight. We'll tell her about the hundred dollars and just see if she meant to give you that much. Sometimes even fairies make little mistakes, and she might have meant to give you five like your brothers.

Alexander looked at his precious $100 bill, clearly not thrilled with the idea of giving it back, but Lucy gave him a reassuring smile.

Lucy- (encouragingly) If she meant for you to have it, she'll let you keep it. But if it was a mistake, I'm sure she'll fix it, and maybe you'll even get a nice little thank-you gift from her.

After a bit of persuasion and a promise that he'd get to write his very own letter to the tooth fairy, Alexander finally agreed, albeit reluctantly. Tim grabbed a notepad and a pen, and they sat down together to draft the letter, with Alexander carefully dictating as his dad wrote.

Alexander- (dictating, thoughtfully) "Dear Tooth Fairy, thank you for the money, but it was a lot. Did you mean to give me a hundred dollars? My mom and dad think maybe you made a mistake. Love, Alexander."

Tim added a little extra flourish and assured him it looked perfect. That night, Alexander placed the letter under his pillow, giving one last, wistful look at the hundred-dollar bill before tucking it away.

After a bit of coaxing, Alexander finally went to bed, carefully placing his letter and the hundred-dollar bill under his pillow. Once they were sure he was fast asleep, Tim and Lucy tiptoed into his room. With practiced parental stealth, they swapped the $100 bill with a five-dollar one, adding a handwritten note from the "tooth fairy" and a coupon for a family ice cream outing. As they crept back out, Lucy glanced at Tim, barely stifling a laugh.

Downstairs, they sank into the couch, relieved but still processing the whole ordeal.

Lucy- (shaking her head, laughing quietly) I can't believe we gave him a hundred bucks. Can you imagine if he hadn't agreed to give it back?

Tim- Yeah, that was a near-disaster. Tayden would've staged a protest right there in the kitchen, and who knows what Ethan, Oliver and William would've demanded. They're always on the lookout for "fairy loopholes."

Lucy- Exactly! We'd have a full-on revolt in the house. Thank goodness Alex was okay with the idea of the letter. He actually seemed pretty proud to write to the tooth fairy.

Tim chuckled, leaning back as he imagined the chaos they'd dodged, all thanks to their little one's trust.

Tim- Guess we really got lucky there. And hey, the ice cream coupon makes for a nice peace offering for everyone else too. You never know... it might just become a new tradition.

Lucy- You might be onto something there.

They shared a quiet moment, the last remnants of the day's craziness fading into laughter.

The next morning, as Tim and Lucy prepared breakfast, they heard the familiar sound of footsteps pattering down the stairs. Alexander burst into the kitchen, clutching his five-dollar bill, the coupon, and a note with a huge grin.

Alexander- Look! The tooth fairy left me a thank-you note!

Lucy- (acting surprised) Oh, wow, that's exciting, Alex! What does it say?

Alexander cleared his throat, holding the note up and reading aloud with pride.

Alexander- (reading) "Dear Alexander, thank you for being so honest and letting me know about the hundred-dollar mistake. I made sure you got five dollars, and as a thank you for helping me, here's a special treat for you and your family. Enjoy some ice cream on me! Love, The Tooth Fairy."

Tim and Lucy exchanged an amused glance, both silently relieved at how well their "tooth fairy fix" had played out.

Tim- (smiling, ruffling Alex's hair) Sounds like the tooth fairy was really grateful for your honesty, bud. Good job.

As Alexander beamed, Tayden walked into the kitchen, his curious expression quickly turning to surprise as he spotted the ice cream coupon.

Tayden- (raising an eyebrow) Wait, the tooth fairy leaves ice cream coupons now?

Lucy- (laughing) Only for very special helpers like Alex.

With the mix-up settled and an ice cream outing to look forward to,