The Economics of the Tooth Fairy

About a month ago, Matthew lost a tooth, put it under his pillow, and the Tooth Fairy gave him two quarters.  Two weekends ago, Nicholas lost a tooth, put it in a sandwich bag and placed it on my dresser.  This past weekend, I asked Nicholas, if he was going to place his tooth under his pillow, so the Tooth Fairy could visit him.

Matthew looked up at me from his bed and said, "Dad, is the Tooth Fairy real?"

"What do you think, Honey?"

"Well, I don't know.  When I lost a tooth at Mom's, I got four quarters and when I lost a tooth here, I only got two quarters."

"Well, Matthew, the Tooth Fairy works on the principle of adaptive economics.  She knows the relative wealth of a particular household and pays for teeth accordingly."

"Oh," Matthew said, as my oldest was shaking silently in his bed from laughing so hard.

Now it seems I'm going to have to develop an economic theory, and I know almost nothing about economics, or be a liar.  Keep checking back.  I might work out adaptive economics by the time Matthew has to take an economics course.


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