Loosing Teeth and Other 'Firsts'

I'm a little choked up today; my youngest just lost his first tooth. Talk about a big event in our house. First came the blood and the rinsing in the sink. Next, the hours spent staring in the mirror and poking his tongue through the gap. After that, we had to write to the Tooth Fairy requesting the privilege to keep this pearly white baby tooth. So why am I sentimental? I guess I am thankful I was there to see it (to pull it out, if the truth be told.) I could have been in a meeting, teaching a class or driving home from work, but I was granted an audience at the loss of my son's first tooth. So many 'firsts' are witnessed by someone other than a working mom. So many times we have to smile and pretend we're not crushed that we missed yet another of these special moments. At the end of it all, I'm sure we're the only ones keeping score. No one else remembers if we were there for the 'first tooth moments.' No one else beats us up over our absence. Why do we?