When did you tell your kid the Tooth Fairy is not real?

I have always been honest with my kids in all other aspects of life and have told them Santa etc. is only real to those who believe in them. But she is 8 and has asked me 3 times lately if the Tooth Fairy is real, I have said yes because her sister who is only 6 is still standing there and would be crushed as she has 4 loose teeth right now.


So would you tell her the truth in private? And I know she still believes in Santa, do I spill the beans to the 8 yr old on all of them or only the Tooth Fairy?

When did you tell your kid the Tooth Fairy is not real?
My daughter is 10 and still believes in all that stuff. From time to time she does question the tooth fairy, Santa, etc. And after talking to other moms of her peers, their daughters believe the same.


I figure in this day and age of 9/11, school shootings, and being drilled on the harsh realities of kidnapping, etc......let them hang on to their light-hearted fantasies as long as possible.
Reply:WHAT? She's not real?................................sig...
Reply:The tooth fairy is NOT real!!!





Maybe yours isnt real!
Reply:I will take her aside and tell her that its what she belives but because she is the oldest its up to her to help protect the secret of the tooth fairy. My DD just started the 1st grade and we know that this issue will be coming up...good thing for now she is an only child.
Reply:it's simply best to let them grow out of it. they'll eventually know themselves without you saying a word than to drop the rock like that. but if it leads to public embarassment, then maybe it's time to step in.





but santa lives in the spirit of christmas, some might be devasated finding you stacking presents. you can always remind them of that, and ask with meaning wouldn't she want her future kids to believe in santa and what he represents?
Reply:My mom told me when I was 12 (which is kinda of old) and I was devastated. I never thought my mom would lie, which is why believed for so long. Now that I have kids of my own, I realize how much Christmas and every other holiday changed after she told me. If you think she is old enough then tell her, but I would try and wait a year or two. Just tell her the same about the tooth fairy as you told her about Santa. That she is only real to those who believe in her.
Reply:this may seem cruel, but i've always known the truth about santa, tooth fairy, easter bunny, etc. there is plenty of enjoyment in childhood without having to believe in myths, and frankly i'm glad my parents never tried to deceive me about it. of course, i was not the child that spoiled for everyone else - that's the parents job. tell her now - and her sister (who will eventually ask and then wonder why her sister knows the truth and not her). there is no reason why you can't keep the tradition even if they know it's you and not some silly fairy.
Reply:My daughter is 15 and my son 12 and I have never told them that the tooth fairy does not exist! They choose what to believe for themselves keeping in mind that if they dont believe the tooth fairy will buy their teeth off them, then they wont. My children, and my sisters two boys now 17 and 16 have kept the tradition going as long as they lost teeth. They know, we know they know, but they dont speak of it, the tooth would go in the magic pot and they would get a coin for it the next day and we would all smile cos its a lovely tradition. We gave the children the magic of this when they were little and later on they kept the magic going for us parents, bless them. Just be careful of any 14 year olds who wonder how they can make a bit of extra pocket money to help buy the latest game or whatever!! lol
Reply:My older kids found out on their own when the tooth fairy (read their father) ran into their nightstand and woke them up.
Reply:If your daughter is asking you, chances are she is just looking for confirmation of something she already knows. My kids both figured it out on their own. Confirm it for your older daughter privately and enlist her help on keeping the secret from her younger sister. She will like that proof that she is grown up. To be fair though, you still have to keep paying for the teeth! Regarding Santa, belief in on does not always correlate with belief in the other. We do not celebrate Christmas so I told my son when he was very young that there was no such thing as Santa so he wouldn't think he was "naughty" when he didn't get a gift. It amazed me that he still believed in the Tooth Fairy for years after that. Some kids are hesitant to admit they know there is no such thing as Santa because they think they won't get gifts anymore. If you keep paying for teeth you will help calm that anxiety and keep the charade up for your younger daughter.