Your little girl has just lost a tooth! Another one already? It seems like just last week you were sneaking a $1 bill under her pillow. As you tuck her into bed, she looks up at you with a furrowed brow.
“Is the Tooth Fairy real?” she asks.
How do you answer? A lot is riding on this one question. If you mess it up, you could be breaking your child’s trust in you or crushing their innocent dreams — but no pressure or anything.
Here, 4 parents share stories of how they either destroyed the fantasy or saved the day:
- Is That You, Mom?
“My brother and I snuck out before dawn and hid in the bushes to try to catch the Easter Bunny. We were out there less than an hour when we spotted a figure with a big basket of eggs – our mom.” recalls Martin Jones of Richmond, Virginia.
- I’ll Just Take the Cash
“Once my kids figured out one magical figure, they figured them all out. I’ve never had a kid that believed in the tooth fairy when they lost their first tooth. Now I don’t even try to play the game. I just give them a dollar and we throw the tooth away. The kids think it’s hilarious,” admits Lynn Edler of Edinburg, Texas. -
Are You Kidding Me?
Laconia, New Hampshire, resident Nicole Cabral’s parents never led her to believe mythical creatures were real. However, they did have her photo taken with the characters at the mall as part of their holiday traditions. She never understood how her friends could believe in a six-foot-tall rabbit hiding eggs in everyone’s yard on Easter morning.
- Are You Holdin’ out on Me, Ma?
Kerrie Hinch of Watervliet, Michigan, was surprised to find out her youngest child knew about the Tooth Fairy when she was around six. “She was telling me about the piles of money her friend got for a tooth. I said, ‘Wow, they sure have a nicer tooth fairy than you!’ She whacked the car seat and said, ‘No, it’s YOU. The Tooth Fairy is YOU. And you just don’t want to give me money!'”
How did you dodge this question, or have it explained to you as a child? Let us know in the comments. And if you’re still not sure how to break the news, read Is Santa Real? for more advice.
Rachael Moshman is a mom, freelance writer and holiday enthusiast. She tells her daughter Santa only visits kids who believe and never plans on changing the story.
