‘What the hell, Mum?’ The parents who keep their

For some, they are morbid curiosities. But for many mothers, their children’s milk teeth are treasured mementos that might find their way into custom-made jewellery

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In the back of my wardrobe, there’s an old chocolate tin that rattles when you shake it. Inside are my two grown daughters’ once pearlescent, now discoloured baby teeth. Occasionally one of them will come across the tin, open it and recoil in disgust.

I find the teeth disgusting too, but I can’t get rid of them. They may look like the kind of souvenirs kept by a serial killer but, to me, they’re a tangible reminder of a time that passed so swiftly I struggle to remember it.