A chapter in the parenting holy grail covering the Tooth Fairy doesn't exist.

So you pretty much have to remember Tooth Fairy experiences from your childhood and take it from there.

When I was a child, <span style="text-decoration: line-through;">my mother</span> The Tooth Family left me 25 cents (or 50 cents .. its been that long)  under my pillow each time a tooth fell out. It was always quarters.  Never two dimes and a nickel or five dimes. Just a quarter (or two).

Natalie came home from school today at the ripe old age of seven years  and three months with one less tooth. It wasn't the first tooth to leave  her mouth (this summer's oral surgery took care of the first) but it  was the first tooth to depart on its own. So this was a big deal. The  tooth fairy would finally be visiting.

The only problem is that  Natalie told me the tooth fairy going rate was $10. Seriously?!?! I know  it is 2010 so I have no idea what the current tooth fairy going rate is  but is it nationally $10 or yet another perk of raising children in  Manhattan.

A <a href="http://www.twitter.com/veepveep" target="_blank">tweet</a> question  received responses of varying amounts other moms put under their  sleeping child's pillow. Some gave more for the first tooth lost, others  one amount and never more.

I couldn't decide. I searched around  in Google. Three dollars would be my decision because apparently that is  just above the national average. Screw worrying about what other  parents would be giving in Manhattan. There's probably a parent giving  $50 a tooth. I wouldn't be joining that parent.

When Sean got  home from Jury Duty I asked him how much money The Tooth Fairy left him  and then I texted my mother. Before she got back to me, I decided I  would give Natalie three dollars for this tooth because five dollars  seemed too much. And I'd probably keep it that amount for later teeth  that were taken by the tooth fairy.

And I'd keep it as quarters because that's how I received the money from The Tooth Fairy.

My mom texted back convincing me that five dollars was fair for her first tooth. Five dollars it would be.

The  only challenge is, tonight when Natalie went to bed, I didn't think her  pillow would fall off her bed as she slept, causing her to sleep in a  strange position that was possibly on top of her tooth! And now with the  pillow on the floor, we had no way of getting five dollars in coins  under her pillow on her bed. So I put the quarters on her bed (along the  side) and laid her pillow on top of them. And left the room.

Without  the tooth. I walked out all proud I managed to get the quarters under  her pillow (without "ringing a cowbell" as Sean suggested I do if I gave  coins instead of paper money) and didn't realize I forgot to take the tooth. I'm a failure as a tooth fairy.

So  Sean took a flashlight in her room to look for the missing tooth but  Natalie woke up enough for Sean to quickly ask her if she needed anymore  tissues. Clearly the first thing that he could think of! And he hurried  out the room. She went back to bed.

We are so screwed. Right now, there's five dollars in quarters on  Natalie's bed under her pillow (in a half assed attempt at making sure  the money was left for her before morning) and a tooth somewhere that  can be found in the morning before she wakes up.

I am single-handedly ruining The Tooth Fairy for all three kids my first night on the job.