
Lil Pumpkin wasn’t the least bit worried or anxious about dropping her teeth. Rather, I was getting kinda emo knowing that she’ll be losing all her baby pearlies soon and no doubt moving faster and deeper into “big girl” territory.

At the same time, molars will grow into the empty space at the back of the jaw, which may cause some minor irritation for the child {yup, teething woes all over again!}.
The rest of the baby teeth don’t fall out until ages 10 to 12.

That night, the boy and I played Tooth Fairy and we wrote her a little note plus prepared 2 gold coins {i.e. S$2} for her tooth. We reminded her to place her tooth under her pillow, and the boy will swop it for the note / coins at night when she’s sleeping. However before Lil Pumpkin slept, the boy gently told her that the Tooth Fairy might not come that night if she was too busy, but she’d definitely be there by the end of the week. I snorted when I heard that because I knew he was just covering his arse in case he forgot to make the swop in the middle of the night haha.
Anyway he managed to do it and the next morning when Lil Pumpkin checked, she was absolutely delighted to find the handwritten note to her, as well as the two gold coins! (。♥‿♥。)

Oh darn it. I know some kids love to prove how “grown-up” they are by denying and ridiculing childhood fantasies, but must they spoil the fun for others too???
In our household, we don’t expressedly make a big hoo-ha for the Tooth Fairy, Easter Bunny, Santa Claus etc. but we do love to have some fun, imagination and magic in our lives. I knew Lil Pumpkin knows deep down that these characters are not real as well, but even then, Lil Pumpkin asked if the Tooth Fairy was real. Hmm.. was it a test of some sort?
Parenting books would advise that at times like these, children need to know they can trust their parents to tell them the truth. In other words, when your kids ask if the Tooth Fairy, Easter Bunny, Santa Claus are real, you should be like LKY and tell them the hard truth.
Yeah, it’s as simple as “yes” or “no” but rather than handling it straight on, I did a ninja move and asked her in return {hah!}, “does it matter?” It might be because I wasn’t ready to crush her childhood fantasies or kill her childlike innocence, but also because I wanted her to know that in our messy grown-up world, sometimes things aren’t always as straightforward as black or white. There are other factors and knowing the truth doesn’t always mean it will set you free.
Does it really matter if the Tooth Fairy wasn’t real, and it was actually just Mummy and Daddy making the fantasy come alive?
I reminded Lil Pumpkin about how excited she was about the Tooth Fairy’s impending visit, how thrilled she was to know a fairy came into her room, and how joyful she was to receive the note and money. It didn’t matter if she saw the Tooth Fairy or not, or if the Tooth Fairy actually existed.
What mattered was these happy feelings and moments were real and what she actually felt. She shouldn’t let anybody take them away from her.
She smiled and nodded knowingly so we left it like that.
I’m not sure if I handled it properly but I know that one day, my dear child will eventually outgrow her childhood fantasies and face harsh realities. Who am I to stop her from dreaming and having fun with her imagination now?
How would you have handled this?
Have you ever admitted to your kids that the
Tooth Fairy, Easter Bunny, Santa Claus etc. don’t exist?
For more of Lil Pumpkin's Primary School journey:
P1 Orientation Day
First 3 Days of P1
10 Types of Parents in Whatsapp Groups
First Primary School Parent-Teacher Meeting for P1 Sem 1
Short Pixie Bob for School
Ergonomic School Bag Shopping & Tips for Choosing One
JUMPY Plus Kids Smartwatch for School
What's An Appropriate Slumber Party Age for Kids?
First 3 Days of P1
10 Types of Parents in Whatsapp Groups
First Primary School Parent-Teacher Meeting for P1 Sem 1
Short Pixie Bob for School
Ergonomic School Bag Shopping & Tips for Choosing One
JUMPY Plus Kids Smartwatch for School
What's An Appropriate Slumber Party Age for Kids?
For tips on P1 preparation:

14 comments:
Woohoo!!! Congrats! Brave girl!
Wow, big girl already! Don't worry, they will find out sooner or later about the "tooth fairy" part. My 9 year old girl only knew about it recently while she saw me keeping all their baby tooths in my secret drawer, lol! My eldest son knew tooth fairy is not real but he just play along with us only..haha!
I grew up without knowing about tooth fairies and Santa Clauses to be honest. Only when I was much older that I knew there were such fantasies. Maybe that's why I'm such a pragmatic person. No intention of telling my kids about tooth fairies. When their teeth drop, I will probably be like, "orh hor... Eat too much sweets..."
I had that delemma too! Guess it is really fun to encounter the tooth fairy at least once. Now, mine knows it was just a game.
How cute she is! I love a toothless grin. It looks like her adult tooth is right there.
We still do the tooth fairy because Isaak still believes. Mica lost 2 canine teeth this week. It seems like kids loose a bunch, then it's awhile before they use more, and they loose a lot again. Isaak was jealous over Mica's attention. My nephew Emerson has lost 4 teeth in the last few months. My sister is always worried he'll swallow them. So far he hasn't.
I think I would have told her the truth. I may probably be the first to tell my kids that Santa and Tooth Fairy aren't real too. Maybe it's just me, I find the notion that someone comes into the house when we are sleeping, super scary!
Michelle @ The Chill Mom
I thought you handled it really well! If my kiddos were to present me with this million dollar question "Is the Tooth Fairy / Santa real?"
I won't know what to say!
Also, I thought it was such a bitter-sweet feeling to see our kids losing their baby teeth.. it's like telling us they are beginning to really grow up.
Brilliant answer to a difficult question!
What a clever answer. I would have just said "No". Lol...
I play out the fantasy as long as possible. Allison is 12 and still believes in fantasy characters. I didn't do anything for St. Patrick's Day, and she woke up ticked wondering why the leprechaun didn't come. I just don't have the heart to crush her dreams yet ;)
My girls used to ask me if Tooth Fairy/Santa real. I replied a 'no', it's a fairy tale.. I should have play along with them..
to be very honest, I wouldn't know how too handle that question and I haven't decided if we should keep the magic or just go with Hard Truths! *haha* I am a very serious person so the old me [before kids] will surely say, "There's No Santa and there's No Tooth Fairy." But now, I want some magic in our lives too! Just that I don't know how to handle it when they pop that, "Are they real" question. hahah
She's so brave! I am so fearful of dentists that I get shivers whenever I get called from my classroom to go to the school's dentist!
Lil Pimpkin is so brave to go to the dentist to have her tooth taken out.
I think I burst lil Sophie's bubble about Santa Clause, Tooth Fairy and Easter Bunny long ago as I didn't want her waiting up for them. When she dropped her first tooth, she put her tooth under her pillow but turned to tell you, but you're the real tooth fairy right? Haha nevertheless, I did leave her a note and a $! coin :)
Well neither Santa nor the tooth fairy was in my childhood/culture. So I told JE the tooth fairy isn't real. :)
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