Author: Pam Molnar

Parents wear many hats—comforter, teacher, disciplinarian—but only a few of them are as fun as the Tooth Fairy. When I imagined our lives with children, I thought about my role as the Tooth Fairy. I knew which parts I would keep from my own childhood and dreamt of ways that I could make the character even more magical.   I remember the excitement of the Tooth Fairy’s first visit to our house. She wrote a sweet note explaining how things worked in the Land of the Lost Tooth. Next to the note, my daughter found a silver coin left for a special first tooth and a new dollar bill saved for such an occasion. My daughter proudly showed her younger siblings what the Tooth Fairy had left for her. They all stared at the coin as if it was the Hope Diamond and my daughter placed it in her jewelry box for safe keeping.As planned, the Tooth Fairy took the tooth back to the Land of the Lost Tooth and carefully placed it in an envelope with my daughter’s name and the date. Mission accomplished. Soon, our other children started losing their teeth. They got the same note, coin and treatment for their first tooth. Every tooth thereafter was collected before the Tooth Fairy retired for the evening and each tooth was given the same care as the first one. About five years after the Tooth Fairy’s first trip to our house, something changed. She didn’t leave notes anymore, she stopped putting dates on the envelopes and sometimes, she didn’t come for the tooth until right before the kids woke up. One time, she left four quarters instead of a dollar bill. How lame! What happened to the magical character in my dreams? When I discussed this with the Tooth Fairy in the bathroom mirror, all I heard were bad excuses—working mom, traveling husband, exhausted from carpools and coming up with dinner ideas. To make matters worse, she claimed that she was overwhelmed with the two extra kids we added to her route. The Tooth Fairy even suggested that our kids were eating hard candy as they were losing teeth at an alarming rate. I was appalled! Things went downhill from there. By the time my youngest child started losing his teeth, his sisters started working for the Tooth Fairy. She often came to our house unprepared and had to ask the girls to borrow singles in order to pay for their brother’s tooth. At the end, a lost tooth would sit in the Tooth Fairy pillow for a couple of days. I lied for the Tooth Fairy and told my son, “You lost the tooth too late in the day and you weren’t on her schedule last night” or “She sent me a text and said she was running behind and would pick the tooth up while you were at school.” Sadly, my son believed me.Until he didn’t believe anymore and the Tooth Fairy was out of a job. At our exit interview, I asked the Tooth Fairy how she thought we did. She told me that the kids will remember the good things, like the silver coin and the notes. Yes, but what about the quarters and the forgotten teeth, I wondered. The Tooth Fairy told me that they will remember those, too. One day, they will be the one holding the wand and fairy dust and it will be a reminder that the Tooth Fairy is only human. 

A successful school year is as easy as learning your ABCs. Check out these 26 simple tips for a happy and healthy school year:Accept new challenges: Push your child to go outside of his comfort zone. Encourage him to try new activities, learn new sports and make new friends.Breakfast: We all know breakfast is an important meal. If your child does not have time for a sit-down breakfast, provide on-the-go breakfast foods like muffins, fruit or protein bars.Chores: Give your child a few jobs that you expect to be done each day before or after school, such as making her bed or feeding the dog. A little bit of responsibility will go a long way.Downtime: Be sure to add free time to their schedule. These are the times your child can relax on the couch, play video games or have a last-minute pick-up game with friends in the neighborhood.Exercise: Balance your child’s sedentary school day with plenty of exercise outside after school. Combine unstructured play with friends with a more structured team practice.Friends: Encourage your child to invite new friends over so you can get to know the person your child is spending time with. It is a great opportunity to meet the friend’s parents, too.Grab-and-go Snacks: Your child will be hungry after school. Instead of grabbing a handful of cookies, provide her with pre-bagged healthy snacks that won’t interfere with the dinner hour. Think veggies and dip, or hummus and crackers.Help your child, but don’t do it for him: We want our children to succeed, but they will never learn if we do it for them. It is okay to give suggestions, but remember that it is their name on the paper.Illness: It’s back to school and back to a room full of germs. Stock your child’s backpack or desk with tissues and hand sanitizer. Remind her to wash her hands and to sneeze into her arm.[[image1]]Join: Encourage your child to join activities at school. It will give him a sense of belonging and he will be more than just another face in the crowd.Keep Trying: It is hard to see your child not get the role, position or grade that she hoped for. Encourage your child to pick herself back up and try again. Disappointment builds character and gives her the tools to succeed.Limitations: Only you know your child’s limitations. While being a part of extracurricular activities is important, sometimes they are overwhelming. It’s okay to say no to invitations and extra practice when you see your child is overwhelmed.Be Mindful of Others’ Feelings: Tell your child to think before he says it and to apologize if it comes out wrong. Tell him to practice “the more, the merrier” when making plans and to include new friends in his group.Nutrition: Plan healthy meals ahead of time. Stock up on ingredients for quick healthy meals that your family enjoys. Save time by using the crockpot or prepping food ahead of time.Get Organized: Save yourself some sanity in the mornings by organizing things the night before. Lay out clothes, make lunches the night before, and put backpacks and shoes in the same place each night.Provide a good example: While words are important, your actions mean so much more. In other words, practice what you preach.Quality Time: It is easy to get wrapped up in the busyness of back-to-school schedules. Try to plan dinners together or have a family game night. It is important to stay connected and catch up on each other’s day.[[image2]]Rules: Remind everyone of the school-year rules. Reestablish bed times, discuss the when, where and how long for electronics use, and what happens when mom and dad are not home.Social Media: Reconfirm what social media sites your child belongs to and check all passwords.  Take time to talk: Open your schedule each day and let your kids know when it is a good time to come to you with problems and concerns. You will get more out of the discussion if you are both tuned in.Use their time wisely: As our kids get older, their commitments increase. Teach your child to use his time wisely by prioritizing so he will not be up at midnight doing homework.Volunteer: It is a great way to see what goes on at school, meet the teachers and interact with the other parents. Even working parents can get involved by helping at evening and weekend events.Workspace: Establish where your child will do his homework. Is the kitchen table too distracting? Does he have a desk in his room? Choose a space that is quiet and has all the tools he needs.Xtra Help: Get a jumpstart on finding a tutor for your child. If she struggles in a subject, look for someone who can keep her on track this year.Year of . . . : Help your child set achievable goals this year. Make this the year of straight A’s, perfect attendance, or the lead in the school play.And Voted #1 by Most Moms:Zzzzzzs: Time to return to the school night bedtimes. It is hard to adjust to waking up early again so adjust it a little at a time. Tell your child to listen to her body and go to bed earlier if she needs it.