The shit you find when you move.

My kid’s old tooth. I cannot believe I saved this shit. Of all the things she’s done over the years; cards, haircuts(some she’s done on her own), drawings…I come across this.

I have been slowly unpacking boxes from my last place, taking stock of what was the madness I once took the lead in. Boxes of stuff that never should have made it to my storage unit, including, but not limited to; 75 unmatched socks, a pair of “sexy” underwear that oddly must have been on my bookshelf, a size 9.5 shoe that I have never seen before and a few nails. My madness, the one I try to pass partially on shit exes and my parents, was my fault. It took me having to pack my townhouse up and put my life in storage to realize that.

It’s not that I’m stupid and chose poorly in partners, right? I mean, who actively chooses to be with lame people? Me! Right here. This girl. The girl who’s always wanted to be loved and accepted and who always puts people first when they don’t deserve it.

But why is this tooth making me question all of this, months and even years later? Is it because it’s actually had cavities in it? Is it because it’s silver? Which, btw, I used to tell my kids, as a way to get them to brush, that they wouldn’t get rewarded for losing those teeth because they will be sent to cash for gold. Maybe it’s because I feel, still, like a shit mom for letting those teeth, yes, there was more than one, get that bad. Because when my little one needed her teeth filled, she had to be knocked out. When it all was said and done, it worked well, but I hated the process. I hated putting her through it all. So when she started losing those teeth and started growing in new ones, it was refreshing. It was like starting over.

When she gets home, I’m gonna give her the tooth. And let her take it to cash for gold.

After further discussion with the kid, she asked for the experience of visiting cash for gold. She’s almost 14, so taking her to explore the seedy side of life wasn’t something I really wanted to hit.

The loser behind the counter smells of saffron. He’s questioning where I found this, asking too many questions for someone who’s taking scraps. $1.00 is what I get for my effort. Not even a portion of the gallon of gas we’ve used for this experience. But it is teaching my kid a life lesson: there is literally a use for everything.

I used to break down when she got fillings. They would knock her out. Like, full blown sleep. She would snore. It was cute but the sight of my baby dropping like a fly, not fun. Mid-sentence, drop. Mid-Pac-Man, drop!

She grew out of cavaties. It was fun to see it all move forward. Overnight there were no issues. Just like the dolls she out grew, slight health issues no longer existed.

You take for granted the times your kids ask for a simple toy. A blatant annoyance, just the stupid dolls that clutter the floor of bedrooms. Or the toys we end up stepping on when we go in to wake them up. So many Legos in boxes. So many toys sent to thrift shops.

Visiting the storage unit with a kid who has a renewed sense of scavenging took the most awkward turn. She opened a box and found her cast from when she broke her elbow.

From then on, she helped discard things she no longer needed.