I Do It

Eric (8) bared his teeth and smiled at me.  “Look Mom, my tooth fell out.  Do you think the Tooth Fairy will bring me some money?”  This was Eric’s third baby tooth to pull loose from its moorings.

Eric had been working his front incisor with his finger and thumb for the past few days.  Shortly after Eric had hopped out of bed in the morning, the tooth surrendered and dropped out of his mouth and into his hand. 

As I examined the gap in Eric’s smile, Beth (3) wandered into the room.  “Mama, look.  My toof is wobbly.” 

Beth pushed her finger against her front tooth.  She was clearly imitating her brother’s actions over the past four days.  I patted Beth softly on the head.  “Honey, you need to keep your little teeth for a couple of more years yet.”

“Can I tafe it out when I’m five?” She asked.  “And toof fairy will bring me a dollar?”

“Sure.”  I laughed. 

In some ways, Beth is the most mature of my children.  She learned to walk faster than Emily (5) and was climbing the ladder to our swing set a good six months ahead of Eric’s progress.  Beth refuses to be left behind.  If her older brother is going to lose a tooth, Beth is eager to join in the game – even if she doesn’t quite understand the rules.

I admire Beth’s determination.  She doesn’t understand the meaning of “can’t.”  In her mind, if big brother and big sister are capable of something, she is capable of it as well.  You can’t tell her she is too little or too young.  She won’t accept it.

There are days when I wish I could be more like Beth.  Yesterday was a good example.  My friend Kristin is talking about running a full marathon this fall.  “You should do it too.” She said.

I frowned before answering.  Even though I owe Kristin a big one (for climbing the AON building with me in January), I didn’t feel ready to commit to twenty-six miles of running.  So I pulled out my list of excuses and began reciting them.  In the end, Kristin let me off the hook.  For now, I told myself, a half marathon would have to suffice.

Later that day, I sat with Beth on the sofa and helped her untie her shoes.  When Beth noticed Emily sitting on the floor taking care of her own footwear, she pushed my hands away.  “I do it Mama.”  She said. 

I pulled my hands back and watched Beth struggle with her laces.  Five minutes later, she displayed the results for me.  I wasn’t sure how she did it, but somehow Beth had managed to untie her laces.  Beth, however, never doubted herself. 

And I felt certain that this wouldn’t be the last time I would hear her say “I do it.”