Comments on: Fire the tooth fairy!

By: Cut the Tooth Fairy some slack? Or just cut her out… | The 36-Hour Day | Work It, Mom!

Fri, 31 Jul 2009 03:54:10 +0000

[...] No Child Left, Patti Hartigan is torn about the Tooth Fairy tradition. “I’ve had little debates with [...]

By: jroo

jroo — Fri, 15 May 2009 23:14:37 +0000

When my son asked if the Tooth Fairy, Santa, and the Easter Bunny were real – I did not have
the heart to say no – so I told him as long as
‘believed’ they were. That ended that
conversation – unfortunately he is older now
but reminds me that he still believes!!!That is how my parents handled those delicate
questions – especially when there were alot of
children in the house.

By: Patti Hartigan

Patti Hartigan — Fri, 08 May 2009 02:10:29 +0000

Who knew that a disappointment from the Tooth Fairy could give a kid strep throat? Yup, he ended up at the doctor’s office, sick as can be.

But the Tooth Fairy made up for her errant ways and left him an elegant note, along with “fairy glitter glue,” and he was starry-eyed, if still coughing and hoarse, in the morning. So the great conspiracy continues. He believes! He forgives! And to make me feel even guiltier, he spent about an hour fashioning a top-secret Mother’s Day card with the glitter glue. Be still my heart.

By: Laura Collins-Hughes

Laura Collins-Hughes — Thu, 07 May 2009 17:28:42 +0000

So, Patti? How’d the Tooth Fairy do? Did she come through?

By: andreaitis

andreaitis — Thu, 07 May 2009 04:14:10 +0000

My 7-year-old son recently asked if the Tooth Fairy was real Or, rather, he went with the teetering declaration: “The Tooth Fairy isn’t real. She’s not, is she?”

I paused, recognizing that this was one of those parenting moments you read about. Confidently, I asked, “What do you think?”

“I think she’s not real,” he said. “Tell me the truth. Is she?”

I paused again, realizing that in fact the other moment was actually just the lead-in to this, the real parenting moment.

“You’re right,” I said. “The Tooth Fairy isn’t real. But it’s fun to believe so don’t tell your sister.”

And that was it. With this secret shared knowledge between us, he happily wrote his note for the Tooth Fairy, slipped it under his pillow and went to sleep. Even knowing the truth (or maybe because of it) he still celebrates the Tooth Fairy…and not just for his sister.

By: Patti Hartigan

Patti Hartigan — Thu, 07 May 2009 03:52:35 +0000

Anne, your comment made me smile. Even my innocent, eager-to-believe kids would wonder about your choices as a child. I can only imagine what they would say if given the choice between the Tooth Fairy and Santa. “Mom, Santa leaves much more than the Tooth Fairy. Of course, he’s the one that’s real.”

Capitalist Construct, indeed.

But it is fun sharing in the magic, especially when they take such pains to leave cookies for Santa and carrots for the Easter Bunny. Now if only my carefully composed apology from the Tooth Fairy works. We’ll see in the morning.

By: Anne Field

Anne Field — Wed, 06 May 2009 14:50:19 +0000

I never believed in Santa Claus and still don’t understand why grown-ups make such a big deal about him. As a parent, I’ve gone along with it, partly because I think I would have been ostracized by my community if I didn’t and partly because it was important to my husband. And, it has been fun and satisfying to watch my own kids and how much Santa seems to mean to them.

(I did believe in the Tooth Fairy when I was a kid, however.)

I once interviewed someone who said that people who never believed in Santa had a lot of emotional problems as adults and had trouble with trust. When I told her about Santa she was nonplussed, but relieved when I told her about the Tooth Fairy.

So, will someone tell me, why is Santa Claus such a big deal?