FuFu and Her Missing Teeth

FuFu and Her Missing Teeth

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FuFu and Her Missing Teeth

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FuFu and Her Missing Teeth

Written by Tanisha Jackson

Copyright 0 2026 by Tanisha Jackson All rights reserved.

No part of this publication may be reproduced. stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—electronic. mechanical, photocopying. recording, or otherwise—without prior written permission from the author.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and events are products of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons. living or dead, is purely coincidental.

Published by Tanisha Jackson, Lincoln, Nebraska

Self-Published Author

Contact info: nisha.jax2025@gmail.com

Printed in the United States of America

Room to Grow

Sometimes my teeth fall out to make space for the new ones God is growing.

And just like that, God is making room in my heart too, room to learn, room to listen, room to grow in faith.

Losing a tooth doesn't mean something is missing.

It means something new is on the way.

God gives me space to grow, even while I'm little, because He loves teaching me new things as I grow bigger and braver every day.

FuFu loves looking in the mirror and seeing the special way God made her, from her bright eyes to her braids with beads, and even the gap where her teeth used to be! She giggles and says, "God made me just right!" Every part of her, even the missing teeth, reminds her that she's growing, learning, and loved by God who made her with care and joy.

FuFu remembered the day her first teeth fell out. She had been brushing in the bathroom when they slipped right into the sink. Her eyes filled with tears, she didn't understand why something so important was suddenly gone.

But then Mama came in, knelt beside her, and wiped her cheeks. "Sweet girl," she said, "you're not losing anything. God is making room, for new teeth, stronger ones, just like He's making room in your heart to grow brave and wise."

FuFu sniffled, then smiled. That day, she learned that growing sometimes feels like losing, but it's really God preparing something better.

FuFu still felt a little less confident about the holes in her smile. Every time she grinned, she pressed her lips together, hoping no one would notice the empty spaces. One afternoon she tugged on Mama's sleeve and whispered, "Can you help me feel better about my missing teeth?"

Mama pulled her close and said, "Baby, you are beautiful just as you are." But knowing how easily little hearts can be hurt, Mama smiled and came up with a plan, something special to help FuFu see her own beauty again, gaps and all.

FuFu made it to school and had such a wonderful day that she didn't even notice the tiny apple pieces she and Mama had cut to fit the spaces in her smile had started to loosen with every hop, skip, and jump down the hallway. When it was finally time for the playground, a few children began to laugh, and that's when FuFu realized her apples had fallen out. Her cheeks burned and tears gathered fast, but even as she cried, she remembered Mama's gentle voice reminding her that she wasn't losing anything at all. God was growing her, making room for something new, something stronger, something meant just for her.

FuFu sat on the ground, tears rolling down her cheeks as she tried to think about apples, anything to drown out the laughter around her. While she sniffled, she noticed a shadow fall across her. A boy stood there, looking down at her with curious, kind eyes.

"Why are you crying?" he asked softly. FuFu wiped her face, surprised that someone had stopped. The boy crouched beside her and said, "My name is Ike." Then, with a small smile, he added, "Don't cry."

FuFu sniffled and introduced herself to the boy, her voice wobbling as she began telling him the whole story, how her teeth had fallen out while she was brushing, how Mama had comforted her, and how they'd come up with the idea of using tiny apple pieces because they were safe if she accidentally swallowed them. She explained how the apples must have slipped out sometime during the day and now she couldn't find them anywhere. As she finished, Ike's face softened and a small smile spread across his lips.

It was then that FuFu noticed something she hadn't seen before, right there in Ike's smile was a little hole just like hers. They both burst into giggles, and soon they were walking around the playground together, searching for the missing apple pieces. With Ike beside her, FuFu didn't feel sad anymore.

As they looked under swings and around slides, she remembered Mama's words about how sometimes we think we've really lost something, but God is just giving us room to grow until He gives us something new. And for the first time that day, FuFu felt that truth settling gently in her heart.

Ike and FuFu searched everywhere on the playground, even asking the playground aide for help. She smiled and told them how fun it would be to retrace FuFu's steps, like little detectives. "Where were you last before the kids started laughing?"

Ike asked. FuFu thought hard, then remembered, she had just gone down the slide. The two of them hurried to the top, and right there, sitting near the edge, were two tiny items waiting to be found.

Ike and FuFu finally found her missing apple pieces, and FuFu could hardly wait to get home to tell Mama all about the boy who helped her. When she finished the story, Mama hugged her tight and reminded her to be thankful, not only because her bad day had a happy ending, but because God had blessed her with a new schoolmate who understood her. Ike had a hole in his smile too, and he wasn't afraid to show it. He was a little example of how FuFu could go back to school without the apples, trusting what Mama always said: she was beautiful just as she was, and God loved her, and her smile, more than she could ever imagine.

A Note to Parents

Reading with your child is one of the sweetest gifts you can give them, an invitation to slow down, draw close, and let their imagination and faith grow right alongside their reading skills. As you journey through FuFu's story together, may you find joy in the little moments: the giggles, the questions, the pauses where their hearts open just a bit wider. Life gives us countless small circumstances, like loose teeth and wobbly feelings, that become perfect opportunities to plant seeds of faith while they are still young.

Remind them often that they are created fearfully and wonderfully in God's image, loved beyond measure, and guided by a God who uses even the tiniest moments to shape their hearts. May these pages help you nurture that truth in your little one, one story at a time.

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