What Does the South African Mouse Pay per Tooth?
the tooth mouse, or fairy if you prefer, is an almost universal concept. The loss of the first tooth is a significant milestone in the life of every child. So much so that some believe the loss of the first tooth to herald a whole new phase of childhood. It is celebrated around the world in many different ways, but whether the tooth is left under a pillow, in a box next to the bed, or in some cases thrown on to the roof, every child knows to expect a visit from the magical tooth mouse. This little creature is said to visit in the deep of night, removing the tooth from its special hiding place and replacing it with a reward.
what exactly happens to the tooth is somewhat of a mystery. Common consensus seems to be that the mouse uses little teeth as bricks to build his house. Most children readily accept this explanation.
as with all things wildling, this little bugger is expensive. Children have 20 baby teeth, which means that as a parent you could spend anything from R20 (at a miserly R1 a tooth) to R1000 (at the princely sum of R50 per tooth) over the course of this milestone.
we asked around to find out what the current going rate is and found a variety of answers, but the most common amount seems to be R20 per tooth. Mom of two, Lauren, told us “R20 to buy a nice treat like an ice cream. I think you should go with what you feel comfortable with”, while moms Kirsty and Gabi agreed that R10 was enough to buy a treat at the till. Some parents seem to start out big, with R100 for the first tooth, and then R20 per tooth after that. Yolande, mom of four, told us how her son kept his loose tooth in his mouth as long as he could, waiting until his weekend visit to the grandparents. “He said that the mouse at his grandparents’ house is richer than our mouse!” she explained.
some prefer to give their child a gift to mark this special occasion, anything from stickers to bubbles to puzzles to pyjamas. Other moms set up little rituals, including gold coins, glitter surprises and even notes from the mouse for each tooth. But mom Rachelle learned a tough lesson in what NOT to do. “We started a ridiculous thing for ourselves: a fresh note with shiny glitter. However, when a tooth fell out when we were away on holiday, we couldn’t keep up with ourselves. It caused a lot of questions!”
how much money does your tooth mouse leave behind, or do you prefer the mouse leaves a small gift?
with An Address for the Tooth Fairy | ‘n Adres vir die Tandmuis, eye love attempts to contribute to the magical world of kids. This set, available in pink or blue, includes a little fairy/mouse door, picket fence, welcome mat, and fairy post / Muispos post box. It even includes a little note from the Tooth Fairy | Tand Muis…
