In a previous blog, I wrote about my efforts to keep my tooth fairy identity a secret. Tyler has been losing his baby teeth over the past few months and had asked me if I was, in fact, the tooth fairy. I told him that I wasn’t and he believed me but I knew it was just a matter of time before I would have to tell him the truth. That time came on Thursday.
For over a week, he had a loose front tooth and on Wednesday, it finally popped out. When he went to bed Wednesday night he placed the tooth under his pillow and asked me once again if there was a tooth fairy or did I put the money under his pillow. Not wanting to disappoint him, I wimped out and said that there was definitely a tooth fairy. When he woke up Thursday morning and found his $2 waiting for him, he was happy but I could see that something was on his mind. He asked me again about the tooth fairy and this time I told him the truth.
I was so afraid that he would start questioning everything that I’ve told him so far. I worried that he would brand me a liar. Of course, he took it with a grain of salt. He wasn’t upset and it didn’t lead to questions about Santa or the Easter Bunny. He simply shrugged it off.
Sometimes as parents, we worry that we will disappoint our kids. We worry what they will think of us if they find out that we are less than perfect. Our kids are more resilient than we think and little “white lies” don’t affect most kids. They shrug them off and move on. What’s interesting to note is although he now knows there is no real tooth fairy he still expects to get money when he loses his teeth and he still plans to go on with the ritual of placing the tooth under his pillow to receive payment. Only this time he knows that his mother will be one leaving the loot!
See also:
Mama, Are You The Tooth Fairy?
Children’s Picture Book About Losing Baby Teeth