Her First Visit from the Tooth Fairy

At age 6 years and 11 months, Lil Pumpkin finally dropped her first baby tooth!! Well, actually it didn’t drop naturally. One of her front bottom teeth was wobbly for a few weeks and she said it was quite uncomfortable over the weekend so we told her to go to her school dentist when school reopened this week to help her pluck it out. An adult tooth was growing behind it too.

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.

FYI, the two front bottom teeth are typically the first to go when kids start losing their baby teeth – which is anytime between ages 5 to 7. If a child loses a tooth earlier than that, it might be because of decay and trauma. After the two bottom front teeth go, the two top front teeth {central incisors} follow, then the next two on either side of the bottom jaw, and finally, the two on the top {lateral incisors}. It’s usually only these first eight teeth that fall out by age 7 or 8.

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.

The school dentist helped to take out her loose tooth on Tuesday during recess. The boy was so impressed with Lil Pumpkin when excitedly showed us her tooth and told us she didn’t cry at all.

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! (｡♥‿♥｡)

Later that day when she came home from school, she came back with a frown though. I think she must have talked to her friends about the Tooth Fairy visiting her, and one of them told her that the Tooth Fairy isn’t real.

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 Registration Experience

School Uniform Shopping @ Bibi & Baba

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? 

For tips on P1 preparation:

Comparison of Popular Maths Enrichment Classes

20 Things to Buy for Kids Entering P1

20 Tips from Other Parents for Kids Entering P1

25 Advice Tips from the School for Kids Entering P1 

20 How to Learn Chinese Tips

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