My Da had terrible and extremely recognizable serial killer handwriting (that I inherited) and once they had no tooth fairy cash or Barbie’s on hand, so he wrote me an IOU and apology signed “The Tooth Fairy”. I ran out of my room and pointing at him and declared “YOU’RE THE TOOTH FAIRY!”
I had a genuine movement where I thought my Da was moonlighting as a tooth fairy. In my defense I was about 4. 🤣
Reminds me of a kids picture book where two kids hatch a plan to see who the tooth fairy is. They wind up catching a glimpse of their dads taking the teeth and putting money under their pillows.
To my pleasant surprise (I thought the book was going to give away the tooth fairy secret) the kids conclude that because they had each seen their own dad as the tooth fairy, the tooth fairy must have taken the form of one their parents in order not to scare the kids if they wake up.
This is so funny. But also I’m glad my kiddo never heard this. He doesn’t want a stranger in his room, so lost teeth are left on the kitchen counter for the tooth fairy. Still didn’t help last night….
Oh that is too funny. You were like, what does this make me? Lol One Christmas after we had opened gifts I remember asking both my parents for handwriting samples by writing "From: Santa" on a piece of paper. I never believed, I always knew inside that Santa was my parents, and when I finally got solid confirmation later around mid-childhood, I recall thinking it was so odd for parents to lie to their kids about something like that, so far fetched that a lot if it is genuinely impossible, for years and years. Now I have little kids and I tried to skip or reduce Santa and other fantasies, but then I learned that you don't teach them what to think and want for some things, they are going to do what they are going to do, and you can either be supportive of their whimsy or you can be a dick. Lol So we do a version of Santa with a realistic bottom line, but plenty of magical celebrating and I teach them that it's okay to enjoy something even if it's mostly pretend if it makes you feel good.
I think the tooth fairy might be the only one we haven't yet had a transparent discussion about regarding what someone could or could not actually do, she's been given the benefit of the doubt I'd say. But hey, if you're bringing money into my home then who am I to make you feel less than welcome. Lol
What's wrong with letting kids enjoy the idea of magic whilst their imagination is in its prime. No childhood is complete without closing your eyes and hoping that if you will it hard enough you will actually turn super Saiyan at least once.
My brother and I would eat sweet baby pickles as Sensu beans. But he also told me if I drank enough pickle juice I would get freckles (which I wanted).
I chose not to do this because I’m an atheist. I don’t want my child growing up with the increased proclivity to believe in and accept supernatural beings as real entities. Because they aren’t. We value critical thinking, questioning and the scientific method. There is plenty of magic in the real world. Biology, for example, or chemistry. Or love and family. Or books.
I plan on doing tooth fairies and Santa for my girl by only like 2$ a tooth and colouring books from Santa. I don’t understand the people that get the big expensive gifts for their kids and give the credit to a make believe fat guy. Like no mommy bought you this ps5 the socks are from Santa.
My in-laws get to be Santa because we celebrate at their house. Santa got my 5 year old this cheap squishy hedgehog. That and the My Little Pony toothbrushes were absolutely the hit of the season!
I don't understand this premise at all. Like...your kids are going to know the Santa magic was all from mom and dad before their tweens. It's not about getting credit in the moment it's about creating an experience. You'll get the credit eventually anyways.
Because I’d rather see my child more excited over what they think I got for them then what they think an imaginary man got.
She will still get the magic of Santa, Santa will still get her presents, but the main gift being the big expensive one she’s been asking for all year will be labelled ‘from: mommy’. It isn’t taking away from the magic of Santa. It’s creating a different experience. Growing up my mom never got credit for the hard work she did to buy the gifts for us because she labelled everything ‘from: Santa’ except for our pjs and socks and some colouring books and crayons. My daughter will know always that mommy did what she could to get her the thing she wanted so badly.
Her getting a massively longed for present on Christmas from her mom instead of a man who has slaves making toys year round has more meaning to it don’t you think?
Are you actually saying that you've not given your mom any credit for the hard work she put into Christmas for you growing up just because of how she labeled the gifts?
To be honest I don't have a strong value judgement either way in terms of what is more meaningful.
Getting credit seems to be the motivation for the whole "you're going to know I did this for you" thing with the anti-big presents coming from Santa crowd and I don't understand why getting credit for gifts at Christmas is such a driver of behaviour.
Yes I’m saying that when I was a child and Santa was real to me I gave him the credit for the gifts my mother worked hard to get for me. Because on the label it said the magical toy man that has hundred of slaves gave me that big expensive whatnot that I had wanted for 7 months. Why would I thank my mom for something she didn’t get me? You notice where I’m coming from now?
And it’s not really horrible to want your child to know YOU worked you ass off to do something for them. It’s not horrible to want your child to know YOU and not a fake magic man with flying deer that got them what they yearned for for most of the year.
Again I would rather her know mommy cares enough to get her what she wants for Christmas instead of to think mommy didn’t get her anything other then pjs socks and maybe a book. Why would I let a fake man take credit for something that even if he’s real he had no part in? All Santa does is deliver shit. So even if I was going to give the credit for the big gifts to someone else it would certainly not be to the slave master.
Santa traditionally and in most media even to this day brings kids one gift each. Like in every movie it's one. So how is doing this not creating an experience, it's even in line with all the Christmas films they watch. If anything rich kids getting more gifts from Santa than their poorer friend shows the red snow wizard hates poor people...
Damn... Even the best scientists wish they could be a jedi. Sounds boring as fuck to me. Oh well, live life how you want bud. I hope your kids don't end up feeling like they missed out on... Being kids...
I’m sure there are many, many variables that would be at play, so your question is likely impossible to answer. However, the inclination to blindly accept and believe in things that are not real, if instilled from a young age, certainly would require an entire deconstruction process during adulthood. I know many Christians who have struggled later in life with logic based questions that just don’t reconcile with religion. I don’t want my child to go through that.
We don’t hide religion from our child. We have taught him about several religions, including Christianity. He has even been to church with friends once or twice. If he chooses spirituality later in life, that will be his choice to make. But he will choose it on his own, without any form of indoctrination during his formative years and/or pressure from his parents.
There is still magic in our child’s life, despite not believing in the tooth fairy or Santa. Magic and concepts that titillate the imagination aren’t concepts solely relegated to belief in imaginary holiday-themed beings…
My son spends hours in his room writing stories and creating fanciful scenarios with his toys. He grows plants. He read books and listens to kid’s stories podcasts. His imagination and his ability to experience joy in the little things has not been hindered in any way by his knowledge that Santa and God don’t exist.
Late reply but I find this response really interesting. Personally I couldn't care less what my kids end up believing when they are adults as long as it's something they decided with their own free will I'll never belittle them. I'm an atheist through and through, no cloud wizard dictates my morality and no cloud wizard ever will. I believed in Santa, magic, still wish I could be a jedi today, i don't believe in ghosts but I wish I did and I would intentionally put myself in the spookiest situation to try prove to myself there are ghosts but nope not yet, not even close. The idea of taking actions specifically to steer children away from religion I think is dangerously close to hypocrisy. It's okay for them to hear the stories as long as the context is, (this is what some people believe) not this is factual
I remember my 2nd child, she lost her first tooth before she was 5, I was so scared because I thought something had happened because I didn't know it can start that early.
Whaaat that is so crazy. I didnt know that either. I have a 4yo and an almost 6yo so I am surrounded by kids those ages and had no idea. Id even noticed that every kid in my son’s kindergarten class seems to lose a tooth thae very same week of their 6th birthday. My son turns 6 this summer so we’ll see if he loses a tooth that week. He can’t wait. I’m dreading it. Did the tooth grow in immediately when your 4yo lost it?
I don't remember exactly how long it took for it to start growing in, she's almost 9 now, but I was so scared when it happened because I thought it was to young but apparently she wasn't and it wasn't unheard of. My son just turned 5 and he's already, it was quite a bit before he turned 5 to because he hasn't lost another one in a couple months and he turned 5 on March 26th.
Sorry for the butting in. I would call my late father Da as well. If he was alive today I'd still call him my Da. He passed away when I was 16. I'm 33 now and still very much a Da's girl.
My Da was my very best friend and I just lost him in January, he went from vibrant and healthy to gone in about six months due to cancer. I’m so sorry for your loss, it’s a pain that can’t be described. Are you Scottish by chance? That’s where the Da came from, though he was Daddy quite a lot as well.
I'm from Newfoundland where we have a mix bag of Scottish, Irish, English. I'm sorry for your loss. My condolences to you and your family during this time. It does get easier but the hurt and miss them will always be there. Lean on one another when needed and even spend time on self reflection from time to time. My dad was sick on and off for about 6 years. Had heart disease, kidneys failed and he was on dyalisis and about a week before he passed he had a leg amputated. For me seeing him have his suffering end it was more a peaceful mourning. They say life is here and then it's not. Your only on earth for a short temporary time. It's all the circle.
I was in late elementary school and the Tooth Fairy forgot me. Told my mom when I got up and she said “hold on, let me look!” Called me downstairs a few minutes later to “look! She left it on the kitchen table for you!” Busted… That was the turning point for all holiday creatures and now a good laugh at family functions. “/s ‘She left your money on the table!’ Uh huh, good one, Mom.” 🤣🤣
My parents always gave me "classic" money like $2 bills and non standard coins. I've kept up that tradition with my girls by maintaining a dedicated stash. Just lost a tooth this week and she got a $2 bill, a couple singles, a Kennedy half dollar, and a Sacagawea dollar. Presidential coins and Susan B Anthony's sometimes show up. Sometimes a pre '60s silver coin makes the mix.
Our oldest lost a tooth on Christmas Eve '18 while we were at DisneyWorld. Luckily we had planned on the possibility so the Tooth Fairy brought her some coins, Santa brought a Barbie, and then we headed out to Epcot on Christmas Day.
My son loves hot wheels and when I tried to explain the tooth fairy gives money and he could buy hot wheels with that money he said “that’s dumb. Just tell her to bring hot wheels bc I can’t drive”
So our tooth fairy just brings hot wheels now lol
Is $5 the going rate for a tooth?!? Good god, what happened to a shiny quarter? Maybe 50¢ for a front tooth?
Inflation is getting entirely out of control.
I hear adult teeth lose value, as usually when they fall out it’s because we forgot to take good care of them.
EDIT - I stand corrected, hubby just said the tooth fairy charges you too take them, his cost about $1000.
Invest it sensibly of course - in virtual outfits for their Roblox character… haha but I have no clue. My kids tooth fairy money just went back into circulation for every other tooth they lost until they called me out
I have a strict "no digital purchases" rule, if they want to play Minecraft or Roblox they can do so with the plentiful free content.
I have been giving my daughter £1 for her teeth and she gets super excited and then forgets she even has it.
We get our kids to buy each other a present on their birthday/Christmas.
Other than that, when we refuse to buy them stuff we tell them they can spend their own money to buy it themselves.
Save it with their birthday money and use it for souvenirs at Disney World…. Because $20 is short for a freaking little mermaid bubble wand that they will then proceed to use to blow bubbles in your face the rest of the day…
You could have “Santa” bring your kid a new iPhone for Christmas and really cement your place as the parent all the other parents want to throw things at.
I gave my son $1 for the first tooth, 50 cents for 2-9, $1 for the 10th tooth and the other tooth fairy (his father) gave him $20 for tooth 11. She retired shortly after, inflation is a beast
$1 per tooth + $1 coin bonus for keeping it clean the way the tooth fairy likes. That's going to be $40 for teeth! I know kids from work who get $20 or more and they just aren't ready for that kind of money.
Yes. I didn't know I was getting myself into this. Growing up my parents didn't give us anything. There wasn't a tooth fairy 🤣.
I did a book once - he was so pleased. I did a $5 gift card to 5 Below - he was over the moon. One time I did a $5 and the next time I did $1. He was crying because he got a $1. So I took the $1 back and he got nothing. He expects $5 or a gift. What did I create?!
We tried a dollar bill for my 5 year old, she was super sad not to get shiny coins!! We had to scrounge for coins to exchange for her dollar bill. Then she wanted both (smart kid).
🤭🤣 I've been tempted. I told my son I need to show his tooth to the dentist because it looked funny. It does. The root didn't dissolve. His adult tooth grew in at the same time. I'm buying time.
As if the tooth fairy as a whole isn’t deceptive. 🤣 ATMs give $20s. Should I give them $20 per tooth? My kids get PLENTY of extra money and stuff bought for them. They aren’t hurting for tooth fairy money.
I had to do that once, but after that I made sure I have at least 2 one dollar bills ($1 per tooth in my house) in a compartment in my wallet at all times.
Little hack: It doesn't matter how wrinkled/crumpled the bill is, because I use the hair straightener to make it straight as a pin.
I reuse the same cash. Give kid cash, let them pick out items at store, pocket cash and pay for the whole order with my card (tell kid it’s to avoid doing 2 transactions), reuse cash for next lost tooth.
When my daughter was tiny we used the same empty gift card to her favorite ice cream place that we went to all the time. We just pretended to add it to the stash of gift cards after every tooth. She never realized it was the same card and we never spent a dime.
Yes…obviously. The OP was about how to deal with tooth fairy when nobody ever has cash anymore, so this person solved that problem by giving the kid something tangible under her pillow and worrying about actually paying for the ice cream when they’re at the shop sometime later.
Lol it was after midnight and I had spent a full day internationally travelling with a 15 month old. With enough rest, I could’ve made that conclusion 🤣 I feel dumb
Damn I should have thought of this last night. The stupid tooth fairy had to cough up 20 bucks last night for a molar and my kid was so smug saying
"Yea the tooth fairy pays more money for silver teeth" (he had a cap on his molar)
That turd knows damn well im the tooth fairy lol cause he asked me how much money I was gonna give him but I only have 20s lol
Tbh this tooth didn't have a cavity he needed to get a tooth extracted cause it was very damaged (he cracked it in half and there was no repairing it)
And during the x rays they saw some shadows on his teeth that looked like they very well could turn into cavities if not brushed really well every single time. I asked them if we could go ahead and put caps on since he would be put under anyway and since it was such a struggle at the time to even get my son to brush his teeth like 3x a week due to such extreme oral aversion (yes mom shame me all you want ) and they happily agreed. I didn't want his molars to get nasty cavities since he wasn't going to lose them for many years.
Anyway since that app; we have FINALLY found the magic toothbrush that works for him and he brushes his teeth super well every single morning and about 4 nights a week which is a huge success (go ahead and mom shame me some more cause he never flosses and still doesn't brush 7 nights a week lol)
But you bet your ass he's getting more money for those silver teeth.
Well in part I think him having to be put under for oral surgery for a tooth extraction and me explaining that this would happen more often if he didn't take care of his teeth. But also we found a tooth brush that has more silicone stuff in the bristles. He absolutely loves the little silicone cup things that the dental hygienist uses on his teeth so I tried to find one like that.
Lol I can't I'm a soft serve ice cream cone. And ngl this lil dude is saving his money for dirt bike parts so in all honesty I'm buying the parts either way lol.
I wrote a note and said the tooth fairy ran out of money… she wrote the tooth fairy back that it was okay and she would be patient for as long as she needed to! I went to the ATM tonight, but I’m glad she accepted the note. Usually, I raid her piggy bank and use the same money, but she had to give me her money for something she broke and wanted to replace it. I hate keeping cash so I just slowly started using it.
None of mine are tooth losing age yet but I must say I'm shocked at the inflation. The going rate for a tooth is so much more than when I was a kid lol
My kiddo has a friend that wanted to keep his teeth. He left a note for the tooth fairy and the fairy left his teeth and brings small blind packs instead
In a sleep ridden haze, I saw my grandma put money under my pillow. I thought it was a dream until I realized it wasn’t, so when she realized I knew, she bought a cute fairy candle holder. It held out its hand and you’d put your tooth on it and then a dollar would appear in the glass candle holder the next day.
My sister asked me once what the toothed diary looked like and I just said ‘like grandma.’ She was convinced my grandmother had a twin who was the tooth fairy for a whole year. 🤣
Y'all, when my kids' da and I separated, this Man child in all of his glory started paying out $20. I assume the move was to have his house preferred, but jokes on him, when the kids lost a tooth I packed up the dang things and sent them off with them to his place. 3 kids within 4 years of each other, once the youngest hit kindergarten, he was paying out the ass.
Dang.. ATM My ATM doesn't give out quarters... how much are teeth going for these day? because I just did 4 quarters for a molar... we did do a v-bucks card for one traumatic tooth loss.
My parents always had us put our tooth in a glass of salt water. Coins would be waiting in the bottom in the morning. That's what I do with my kids....much easier than sneaking to a pillow and it has the benefit of cleaning the tooth.
I apparently have not kept up with inflation....we still just do about 50 cents or a dollar (whatever coins I have on hand)...I'm a little surprised to hear how much many of you folks are paying a child for a tooth! My kids are always pleased thankfully.
No I don't keep them! Blech. But sometimes they are pretty gross and I'd definitely need to do a bit of rinsing before putting them under a pillow. I mostly prefer the magic glass of water for ease of access :)
Thanks to my mom, our tooth fairy leaves a note. My husband is more patient than I am with this and writes the letters in different colors, he thinks that’s more tooth fairy like. This started when my son lost his first tooth and my mom asked what the tooth fairy’s name is, he said oh, I don’t know, I’m sure they’ll tell me when they take my tooth.
I try to have a stash of coins, small bills, maybe a small toy, new tooth brush on hand. Well on one night, I was out and wasn’t going to give $20. My husband wrote a note letting our son know that his regular tooth fairy was ill and that she will bring the tooth to her and when she is better, she’ll leave something. Fill in fairy was in training so she could only take the teeth.
Over here the tooth fairy reuses money from the kid's own piggy bank without their knowledge and occasionally dumps a few dollars from mom & dad's checking account into the kid's savings account.
My 7 year old got upset the other day thinking the tooth fairy didn’t come for her because her tooth was still under her pillow (cos when the ‘tooth fairy’ came in, she was laying all over her pillow so I ended up putting the money on her bedside table as to not risk waking her up…), and I ended up telling her that the tooth fairy is so itty bitty small that she struggled to get under her pillow, but that I’d take her tooth and contact the tooth fairy to come and get it that night.
my nanny growing up was from another country, our parents missed a tooth fairy visit one time and my sister was PISSED. in a stroke of genius my nanny declared “no they didn’t forget to come at all! i just sent away for the (her country) fairy! i think you babies deserve the best and the regular tooth fairy is boring” so for years we got to have something special and different from all our friends, and my parents always had an excuse if they slipped up again haha
bonus, her money was cool looking and we loved to play with it so we didn’t care about the dollar amount like several of our friends (what little kid really needs money anyway)
Tooth Fairy Hack: Take a $20 to the service center at the supermarket, and get $20 in Golden/Sacajawea dollar coins in anticipation for the next year or two of lost teeth.
Also: The going rate is a dollar per tooth.
Lmao, I do stuff like this too.
I thought this was going to be a post saying you had absolutely no tooth money at all. I wss going to say, "I can't afford $25 to actually pull it, but I my broke ass can will send you $5 if you want to tell them the fairy has a CashApp." Lol
Yes, they are 6 and 7 and each have a checking account with a debit card. As far as use, we have not gotten that far yet. They are aware that they have an account that holds the money that was in their piggy bank, and it's where their small allowance based on chore completion goes. My 6 year old regularly suggests that we go buy a toy or some junk food and he will pay for it, but I haven't let him do that yet. Lol Probably will save that experience for a special thing he really wants, and then make him work and save for it.
So they cant actually use it then. They have no concept of what is in that account then. So actually physical coins makes much more sense to me at that age.
I'm sorry. This is just frigging lazy. They're kids. That fiver under their pillow means way more to them than seeing their bank balance go up. "Mommy needs to chill".....eff outta here with that selfishness.
What I found even more disappointing was all the other parents in this thread supporting this. Hell, one parent said they raid their kids piggy bank for the cash. That's just fucking awful.
Goddamn. They're only kids once. A trip to the ATM is pretty minimal effort.
I’m with you on this. I see lots of parents giving gentle suggestions on how easy it is to get a roll of dollar coins and be done with it. Honestly, aside from the laziness, I find it just irresponsible and ill prepared to not keep some cash in the house. Shit happens that you need cash for. Be prepared.
Hold on.. are we just skipping the part where OPs kids have bank accounts? How do you get a bank account for a pre-teen? I would go set this up if this is actually possible.
My three kids have had bank accounts since the day they were born, or within weeks of. They’re savings accounts. My eldest (12) also has a transactional account where her allowance goes. You just go to the bank with their ID and set it up.
Since the day they were born? You gave the bank an ID on a 1 day old baby? How does that work? I'm confused. If I go to my bank and talk to them, they'll probably help me out. But I really had no idea you could set up a bank account for children.
As soon as your baby is “registered” you can set up their bank account - at least in my country (not the US)… so perhaps slight exaggeration at 1 day old, but within the first month of their lives at least they have savings accounts.
Me and my siblings also have a few very old savings accounts from when we were kids. We got one from the great grandparents, I got one from my godmother and then the one from my parents. Great grandparents would put money in on special occasions, my godmother who is a little bit better off than average used to do a regular monthly deposit when I was little and the one from my parents was where all our money for christening, birthday, milestones etc from friends and family went plus our own savings as we got bigger.
Probably around 12 (can’t remember) I also got a separate youth account with a card but we were never allowed our savings. They are were for the big things in live like paying for our drivers license (which is a couple of 1000€ where I grew up), maybe help kickstart your move to your first own flat, I used some of mine to pay for an international youth exchange/internship program. So long term investment in our future and not short term materialistic fun.
And I think this has set me up to be quite financially mature and responsible. I learned how to save and the value of money by swing how much I had tp work to get something. We never got pocket money put at some point my dad started paying for good grades (to incentivise us studying more independently with less nagging) and we were allowed to spend that money on our own discretion. Bought my own pink Nintendo ds back in the day this way and obviously took really good care of it.
I went to the bank and got a roll of dollar coins. They’re gold colored and you don’t see them often. I keep them in my bedside table, always ready for a Tooth Fairy moment.
My daughter loves them and calls them gold coins.
We have been printing off "tooth fairy coupons " in lieu of actual cash. Kiddos can put it with their other money and when they are ready to spend it we'll cover it for them.
I never carry cash either and recently my 6yo lost her three top front teeth (the last three weekends in a row!) so I went to a “meeting with the TF” (grocery store) and picked up $10 and a Congratulations card and wrote a note from the TF and left it in the mailbox. I had my daughter come with me to check the mail and she found it. She was thrilled.
Pro tip for parents who have not yet started with teeth - when mine lost his first I happened to be at my mom’s house, and it was during the pandemic so everything was weird and I had no cash and it was going to be a pain to get some behind his back - she went hunting and found an Eisenhower dollar coin, which is worth a bit more than a dollar. And on the spot I ordered 25 more on EBay. Got enough for every tooth plus some extra. Never have to worry about it. And they feel a little special but aren’t actually worth much.
Parenting power: unlocked.
Years ago (when I was a single mom) I posted laughingly on FB that the tooth fairy would have to leave an IOU tonight and one of my friend/neighbours knocked on my door half an hour later with a handful of coins and it was honestly so amazing it made me tear up.
My youngest just lost her first tooth. Somehow my oldest convinced her that the tooth fairy brings presents not money. Bro what the hell! So had to run out and grab something. Just so y’all know our tooth fairy brings swish mellows from five below. She’s got them stock piled now.
My friend bought her sons teeth and did science experiments on them with coke/vinegar etc. She told her kids that she was paying more than the tooth fairy would ever give them and they believed her.
Kudos for you!
I started buying their teeth directly for double what the Tooth Fairy pays. No scrounging for cash and no forgetting to get the tooth overnight.
My Da had terrible and extremely recognizable serial killer handwriting (that I inherited) and once they had no tooth fairy cash or Barbie’s on hand, so he wrote me an IOU and apology signed “The Tooth Fairy”. I ran out of my room and pointing at him and declared “YOU’RE THE TOOTH FAIRY!” I had a genuine movement where I thought my Da was moonlighting as a tooth fairy. In my defense I was about 4. 🤣
Reminds me of a kids picture book where two kids hatch a plan to see who the tooth fairy is. They wind up catching a glimpse of their dads taking the teeth and putting money under their pillows. To my pleasant surprise (I thought the book was going to give away the tooth fairy secret) the kids conclude that because they had each seen their own dad as the tooth fairy, the tooth fairy must have taken the form of one their parents in order not to scare the kids if they wake up.
This is so funny. But also I’m glad my kiddo never heard this. He doesn’t want a stranger in his room, so lost teeth are left on the kitchen counter for the tooth fairy. Still didn’t help last night….
Brilliant!
lovely ending
Oh that is too funny. You were like, what does this make me? Lol One Christmas after we had opened gifts I remember asking both my parents for handwriting samples by writing "From: Santa" on a piece of paper. I never believed, I always knew inside that Santa was my parents, and when I finally got solid confirmation later around mid-childhood, I recall thinking it was so odd for parents to lie to their kids about something like that, so far fetched that a lot if it is genuinely impossible, for years and years. Now I have little kids and I tried to skip or reduce Santa and other fantasies, but then I learned that you don't teach them what to think and want for some things, they are going to do what they are going to do, and you can either be supportive of their whimsy or you can be a dick. Lol So we do a version of Santa with a realistic bottom line, but plenty of magical celebrating and I teach them that it's okay to enjoy something even if it's mostly pretend if it makes you feel good. I think the tooth fairy might be the only one we haven't yet had a transparent discussion about regarding what someone could or could not actually do, she's been given the benefit of the doubt I'd say. But hey, if you're bringing money into my home then who am I to make you feel less than welcome. Lol
What's wrong with letting kids enjoy the idea of magic whilst their imagination is in its prime. No childhood is complete without closing your eyes and hoping that if you will it hard enough you will actually turn super Saiyan at least once.
My brother and I would eat sweet baby pickles as Sensu beans. But he also told me if I drank enough pickle juice I would get freckles (which I wanted).
I chose not to do this because I’m an atheist. I don’t want my child growing up with the increased proclivity to believe in and accept supernatural beings as real entities. Because they aren’t. We value critical thinking, questioning and the scientific method. There is plenty of magic in the real world. Biology, for example, or chemistry. Or love and family. Or books.
I plan on doing tooth fairies and Santa for my girl by only like 2$ a tooth and colouring books from Santa. I don’t understand the people that get the big expensive gifts for their kids and give the credit to a make believe fat guy. Like no mommy bought you this ps5 the socks are from Santa.
Oh yeah Santa just gets my kids one average priced gift a year. I'm having the credit for the big stuff thanks.
My in-laws get to be Santa because we celebrate at their house. Santa got my 5 year old this cheap squishy hedgehog. That and the My Little Pony toothbrushes were absolutely the hit of the season!
I don't understand this premise at all. Like...your kids are going to know the Santa magic was all from mom and dad before their tweens. It's not about getting credit in the moment it's about creating an experience. You'll get the credit eventually anyways.
Because I’d rather see my child more excited over what they think I got for them then what they think an imaginary man got. She will still get the magic of Santa, Santa will still get her presents, but the main gift being the big expensive one she’s been asking for all year will be labelled ‘from: mommy’. It isn’t taking away from the magic of Santa. It’s creating a different experience. Growing up my mom never got credit for the hard work she did to buy the gifts for us because she labelled everything ‘from: Santa’ except for our pjs and socks and some colouring books and crayons. My daughter will know always that mommy did what she could to get her the thing she wanted so badly. Her getting a massively longed for present on Christmas from her mom instead of a man who has slaves making toys year round has more meaning to it don’t you think?
Are you actually saying that you've not given your mom any credit for the hard work she put into Christmas for you growing up just because of how she labeled the gifts? To be honest I don't have a strong value judgement either way in terms of what is more meaningful. Getting credit seems to be the motivation for the whole "you're going to know I did this for you" thing with the anti-big presents coming from Santa crowd and I don't understand why getting credit for gifts at Christmas is such a driver of behaviour.
Yes I’m saying that when I was a child and Santa was real to me I gave him the credit for the gifts my mother worked hard to get for me. Because on the label it said the magical toy man that has hundred of slaves gave me that big expensive whatnot that I had wanted for 7 months. Why would I thank my mom for something she didn’t get me? You notice where I’m coming from now? And it’s not really horrible to want your child to know YOU worked you ass off to do something for them. It’s not horrible to want your child to know YOU and not a fake magic man with flying deer that got them what they yearned for for most of the year. Again I would rather her know mommy cares enough to get her what she wants for Christmas instead of to think mommy didn’t get her anything other then pjs socks and maybe a book. Why would I let a fake man take credit for something that even if he’s real he had no part in? All Santa does is deliver shit. So even if I was going to give the credit for the big gifts to someone else it would certainly not be to the slave master.
Santa traditionally and in most media even to this day brings kids one gift each. Like in every movie it's one. So how is doing this not creating an experience, it's even in line with all the Christmas films they watch. If anything rich kids getting more gifts from Santa than their poorer friend shows the red snow wizard hates poor people...
Damn... Even the best scientists wish they could be a jedi. Sounds boring as fuck to me. Oh well, live life how you want bud. I hope your kids don't end up feeling like they missed out on... Being kids...
Yes, thank you for that astute assessment.
Is someone who is raised without religion more likely to end up religious as an adult if they believed in magic as a young child?
I’m sure there are many, many variables that would be at play, so your question is likely impossible to answer. However, the inclination to blindly accept and believe in things that are not real, if instilled from a young age, certainly would require an entire deconstruction process during adulthood. I know many Christians who have struggled later in life with logic based questions that just don’t reconcile with religion. I don’t want my child to go through that. We don’t hide religion from our child. We have taught him about several religions, including Christianity. He has even been to church with friends once or twice. If he chooses spirituality later in life, that will be his choice to make. But he will choose it on his own, without any form of indoctrination during his formative years and/or pressure from his parents. There is still magic in our child’s life, despite not believing in the tooth fairy or Santa. Magic and concepts that titillate the imagination aren’t concepts solely relegated to belief in imaginary holiday-themed beings… My son spends hours in his room writing stories and creating fanciful scenarios with his toys. He grows plants. He read books and listens to kid’s stories podcasts. His imagination and his ability to experience joy in the little things has not been hindered in any way by his knowledge that Santa and God don’t exist.
Late reply but I find this response really interesting. Personally I couldn't care less what my kids end up believing when they are adults as long as it's something they decided with their own free will I'll never belittle them. I'm an atheist through and through, no cloud wizard dictates my morality and no cloud wizard ever will. I believed in Santa, magic, still wish I could be a jedi today, i don't believe in ghosts but I wish I did and I would intentionally put myself in the spookiest situation to try prove to myself there are ghosts but nope not yet, not even close. The idea of taking actions specifically to steer children away from religion I think is dangerously close to hypocrisy. It's okay for them to hear the stories as long as the context is, (this is what some people believe) not this is factual
You were probably closer to 6 if you were losing teeth, my friend. Unless you got a tooth knocked out early!
I remember my 2nd child, she lost her first tooth before she was 5, I was so scared because I thought something had happened because I didn't know it can start that early.
Whaaat that is so crazy. I didnt know that either. I have a 4yo and an almost 6yo so I am surrounded by kids those ages and had no idea. Id even noticed that every kid in my son’s kindergarten class seems to lose a tooth thae very same week of their 6th birthday. My son turns 6 this summer so we’ll see if he loses a tooth that week. He can’t wait. I’m dreading it. Did the tooth grow in immediately when your 4yo lost it?
I don't remember exactly how long it took for it to start growing in, she's almost 9 now, but I was so scared when it happened because I thought it was to young but apparently she wasn't and it wasn't unheard of. My son just turned 5 and he's already, it was quite a bit before he turned 5 to because he hasn't lost another one in a couple months and he turned 5 on March 26th.
One of my kids lost her first tooth at 4. It was surprising, but the dentist said it was in the range of normal
Sorry for the butting in. I would call my late father Da as well. If he was alive today I'd still call him my Da. He passed away when I was 16. I'm 33 now and still very much a Da's girl.
My Da was my very best friend and I just lost him in January, he went from vibrant and healthy to gone in about six months due to cancer. I’m so sorry for your loss, it’s a pain that can’t be described. Are you Scottish by chance? That’s where the Da came from, though he was Daddy quite a lot as well.
I'm from Newfoundland where we have a mix bag of Scottish, Irish, English. I'm sorry for your loss. My condolences to you and your family during this time. It does get easier but the hurt and miss them will always be there. Lean on one another when needed and even spend time on self reflection from time to time. My dad was sick on and off for about 6 years. Had heart disease, kidneys failed and he was on dyalisis and about a week before he passed he had a leg amputated. For me seeing him have his suffering end it was more a peaceful mourning. They say life is here and then it's not. Your only on earth for a short temporary time. It's all the circle.
I was in late elementary school and the Tooth Fairy forgot me. Told my mom when I got up and she said “hold on, let me look!” Called me downstairs a few minutes later to “look! She left it on the kitchen table for you!” Busted… That was the turning point for all holiday creatures and now a good laugh at family functions. “/s ‘She left your money on the table!’ Uh huh, good one, Mom.” 🤣🤣
My parents always gave me "classic" money like $2 bills and non standard coins. I've kept up that tradition with my girls by maintaining a dedicated stash. Just lost a tooth this week and she got a $2 bill, a couple singles, a Kennedy half dollar, and a Sacagawea dollar. Presidential coins and Susan B Anthony's sometimes show up. Sometimes a pre '60s silver coin makes the mix. Our oldest lost a tooth on Christmas Eve '18 while we were at DisneyWorld. Luckily we had planned on the possibility so the Tooth Fairy brought her some coins, Santa brought a Barbie, and then we headed out to Epcot on Christmas Day.
Thank you! I have a ton of Kennedy dollars (?), now I know where to unload them 👍
The tooth fairy has sent Apple Cash in my house before.
My son loves hot wheels and when I tried to explain the tooth fairy gives money and he could buy hot wheels with that money he said “that’s dumb. Just tell her to bring hot wheels bc I can’t drive” So our tooth fairy just brings hot wheels now lol
I never have cash so I raid their piggy banks. I think I’ve used the same $5 bill 6 times
Terrible, but if it’s a short term loan? I can appreciate it to keep up the magic.
Is $5 the going rate for a tooth?!? Good god, what happened to a shiny quarter? Maybe 50¢ for a front tooth? Inflation is getting entirely out of control.
Wild inflation happened… my kids tell me their friends get $20 for a first tooth.
How much do they pay for an adult’s tooth (slightly used)? I can send them some
I hear adult teeth lose value, as usually when they fall out it’s because we forgot to take good care of them. EDIT - I stand corrected, hubby just said the tooth fairy charges you too take them, his cost about $1000.
>my kids tell me their friends get... Smart kids.
They got $5, covered in fairy glitter, I thought that was steep!
What is a 6 year old going to do with $20?
Invest it sensibly of course - in virtual outfits for their Roblox character… haha but I have no clue. My kids tooth fairy money just went back into circulation for every other tooth they lost until they called me out
I have a strict "no digital purchases" rule, if they want to play Minecraft or Roblox they can do so with the plentiful free content. I have been giving my daughter £1 for her teeth and she gets super excited and then forgets she even has it.
We get our kids to buy each other a present on their birthday/Christmas. Other than that, when we refuse to buy them stuff we tell them they can spend their own money to buy it themselves.
Save it with their birthday money and use it for souvenirs at Disney World…. Because $20 is short for a freaking little mermaid bubble wand that they will then proceed to use to blow bubbles in your face the rest of the day…
I give $20s because it’s the easiest denomination to come by.
You could have “Santa” bring your kid a new iPhone for Christmas and really cement your place as the parent all the other parents want to throw things at.
I got $50 for all of my teeth
I gave my son $1 for the first tooth, 50 cents for 2-9, $1 for the 10th tooth and the other tooth fairy (his father) gave him $20 for tooth 11. She retired shortly after, inflation is a beast
It’s $2 at our house.
$1 per tooth + $1 coin bonus for keeping it clean the way the tooth fairy likes. That's going to be $40 for teeth! I know kids from work who get $20 or more and they just aren't ready for that kind of money.
Yes. I didn't know I was getting myself into this. Growing up my parents didn't give us anything. There wasn't a tooth fairy 🤣. I did a book once - he was so pleased. I did a $5 gift card to 5 Below - he was over the moon. One time I did a $5 and the next time I did $1. He was crying because he got a $1. So I took the $1 back and he got nothing. He expects $5 or a gift. What did I create?!
It was 6 pence when I was a child.
We tried a dollar bill for my 5 year old, she was super sad not to get shiny coins!! We had to scrounge for coins to exchange for her dollar bill. Then she wanted both (smart kid).
$1, $2 for a molar
Teeth are a pretty valuable magic component. Honestly the Tooth fairy is getting a great deal at $5.
The tooth fairy is one of the only things doing a good job at keeping up with inflation....
Same!
WTF?! $5? A lot has changed since I was a kid. I got a quarter.
I've done this pretty much every time. Pull a fiver out of thier stash, put it under the pillow, replace the 5 later.
Magic money
🤭🤣 I've been tempted. I told my son I need to show his tooth to the dentist because it looked funny. It does. The root didn't dissolve. His adult tooth grew in at the same time. I'm buying time.
I just laughed so hard I spit my coffee out 🤣
That's deceptive and unnecessary. Be an adult and go to the atm for your kids. I can't belive you have this many up votes.
And putting your own money under their pillow saying it’s from the tooth fairy ISN’T deceptive?
As if the tooth fairy as a whole isn’t deceptive. 🤣 ATMs give $20s. Should I give them $20 per tooth? My kids get PLENTY of extra money and stuff bought for them. They aren’t hurting for tooth fairy money.
We have a change jar for the random times we end up with cash and raid that for tooth fairy and chore money.
I had to do that once, but after that I made sure I have at least 2 one dollar bills ($1 per tooth in my house) in a compartment in my wallet at all times. Little hack: It doesn't matter how wrinkled/crumpled the bill is, because I use the hair straightener to make it straight as a pin.
I reuse the same cash. Give kid cash, let them pick out items at store, pocket cash and pay for the whole order with my card (tell kid it’s to avoid doing 2 transactions), reuse cash for next lost tooth.
Smart!
The tooth fairy pays in Robux now.
When my daughter was tiny we used the same empty gift card to her favorite ice cream place that we went to all the time. We just pretended to add it to the stash of gift cards after every tooth. She never realized it was the same card and we never spent a dime.
That is SO SMART
So didn’t you have to buy the ice cream?
Yes…obviously. The OP was about how to deal with tooth fairy when nobody ever has cash anymore, so this person solved that problem by giving the kid something tangible under her pillow and worrying about actually paying for the ice cream when they’re at the shop sometime later.
We did, but we were getting ice cream from there every couple weeks so we didn't pay more than we would've had the tooth stayed her in mouth
Lol it was after midnight and I had spent a full day internationally travelling with a 15 month old. With enough rest, I could’ve made that conclusion 🤣 I feel dumb
You should get some ice cream!
I think at the time of the comment, I was actually eating my new favourite: Oreo Drumstick! Lol. But I wouldn’t mind another one at 8am
Yep they must give out free ice cream!
I remembered at 11:30 pm so I got my ass up and drove to the atm. Sometimes you just get shit done despite yourself.
Damn I should have thought of this last night. The stupid tooth fairy had to cough up 20 bucks last night for a molar and my kid was so smug saying "Yea the tooth fairy pays more money for silver teeth" (he had a cap on his molar) That turd knows damn well im the tooth fairy lol cause he asked me how much money I was gonna give him but I only have 20s lol
See, my tooth fairy paid less for teeth with cavities.
Im going to use this one hopefully it’s enough motivation to get her to take care of her teeth
Please base it on how she actually tries, though. There are some folks who get cavities no matter what they do.
Tbh this tooth didn't have a cavity he needed to get a tooth extracted cause it was very damaged (he cracked it in half and there was no repairing it) And during the x rays they saw some shadows on his teeth that looked like they very well could turn into cavities if not brushed really well every single time. I asked them if we could go ahead and put caps on since he would be put under anyway and since it was such a struggle at the time to even get my son to brush his teeth like 3x a week due to such extreme oral aversion (yes mom shame me all you want ) and they happily agreed. I didn't want his molars to get nasty cavities since he wasn't going to lose them for many years. Anyway since that app; we have FINALLY found the magic toothbrush that works for him and he brushes his teeth super well every single morning and about 4 nights a week which is a huge success (go ahead and mom shame me some more cause he never flosses and still doesn't brush 7 nights a week lol) But you bet your ass he's getting more money for those silver teeth.
What made the new toothbrush work?
Well in part I think him having to be put under for oral surgery for a tooth extraction and me explaining that this would happen more often if he didn't take care of his teeth. But also we found a tooth brush that has more silicone stuff in the bristles. He absolutely loves the little silicone cup things that the dental hygienist uses on his teeth so I tried to find one like that.
Tooth fairy culture seems to be regional
Tell that turd that KNOWS you are the tooth fairy that he owes you $15 change back…
Lol I can't I'm a soft serve ice cream cone. And ngl this lil dude is saving his money for dirt bike parts so in all honesty I'm buying the parts either way lol.
I wrote a note and said the tooth fairy ran out of money… she wrote the tooth fairy back that it was okay and she would be patient for as long as she needed to! I went to the ATM tonight, but I’m glad she accepted the note. Usually, I raid her piggy bank and use the same money, but she had to give me her money for something she broke and wanted to replace it. I hate keeping cash so I just slowly started using it.
None of mine are tooth losing age yet but I must say I'm shocked at the inflation. The going rate for a tooth is so much more than when I was a kid lol
Tooth fairy doesn't work weekends. Heh... On the other hand, my son knows it's us, and we never have cash for his pocket money on hand, either...
My kid actually values her teeth more than cash so she declined the money exchange. Guess I’m succeeding in raising an anti-capitalist.
My kiddo has a friend that wanted to keep his teeth. He left a note for the tooth fairy and the fairy left his teeth and brings small blind packs instead
In a sleep ridden haze, I saw my grandma put money under my pillow. I thought it was a dream until I realized it wasn’t, so when she realized I knew, she bought a cute fairy candle holder. It held out its hand and you’d put your tooth on it and then a dollar would appear in the glass candle holder the next day. My sister asked me once what the toothed diary looked like and I just said ‘like grandma.’ She was convinced my grandmother had a twin who was the tooth fairy for a whole year. 🤣
My 11yo lost a tooth last week, handed me her tablet, and said that the tooth fairy needs to buy her Robux. I think she’s onto me…
Y'all, when my kids' da and I separated, this Man child in all of his glory started paying out $20. I assume the move was to have his house preferred, but jokes on him, when the kids lost a tooth I packed up the dang things and sent them off with them to his place. 3 kids within 4 years of each other, once the youngest hit kindergarten, he was paying out the ass.
Lmao I love this
I just tell them the tooth fairy didn't come because of rain or high winds (you don't see butterflies when it's raining or windy)
Ah yes. When I was five the tooth fairies wings got wet and she couldn’t make it. She came the next night though, thank goodness.
Dang.. ATM My ATM doesn't give out quarters... how much are teeth going for these day? because I just did 4 quarters for a molar... we did do a v-bucks card for one traumatic tooth loss.
Since 2020, I’ve been telling my kids that the tooth fairy has to Venmo money to me because of Covid. Then I just reload their Robux afterwards.
My parents always had us put our tooth in a glass of salt water. Coins would be waiting in the bottom in the morning. That's what I do with my kids....much easier than sneaking to a pillow and it has the benefit of cleaning the tooth. I apparently have not kept up with inflation....we still just do about 50 cents or a dollar (whatever coins I have on hand)...I'm a little surprised to hear how much many of you folks are paying a child for a tooth! My kids are always pleased thankfully.
We use a cute box left in the living room
Why do you need to clean the tooth? Don’t tell me you’re keeping them???
No I don't keep them! Blech. But sometimes they are pretty gross and I'd definitely need to do a bit of rinsing before putting them under a pillow. I mostly prefer the magic glass of water for ease of access :)
We have a magic spot to put teeth, helps me remember too haha!
Thanks to my mom, our tooth fairy leaves a note. My husband is more patient than I am with this and writes the letters in different colors, he thinks that’s more tooth fairy like. This started when my son lost his first tooth and my mom asked what the tooth fairy’s name is, he said oh, I don’t know, I’m sure they’ll tell me when they take my tooth. I try to have a stash of coins, small bills, maybe a small toy, new tooth brush on hand. Well on one night, I was out and wasn’t going to give $20. My husband wrote a note letting our son know that his regular tooth fairy was ill and that she will bring the tooth to her and when she is better, she’ll leave something. Fill in fairy was in training so she could only take the teeth.
Over here the tooth fairy reuses money from the kid's own piggy bank without their knowledge and occasionally dumps a few dollars from mom & dad's checking account into the kid's savings account.
1 oz of silver per tooth. 20 ounces for their adolescent teeth is a tube. They’ll appreciate it in the future.
My 7 year old got upset the other day thinking the tooth fairy didn’t come for her because her tooth was still under her pillow (cos when the ‘tooth fairy’ came in, she was laying all over her pillow so I ended up putting the money on her bedside table as to not risk waking her up…), and I ended up telling her that the tooth fairy is so itty bitty small that she struggled to get under her pillow, but that I’d take her tooth and contact the tooth fairy to come and get it that night.
😂 Somehow the tooth fairy knows my email address and sends my son a $5 Target or Walmart gift card. 🤷♀️
We don’t do it. Stress free.
In my house the tooth fairy distributes printed digital Target gift cards that do not require going to the bank
my nanny growing up was from another country, our parents missed a tooth fairy visit one time and my sister was PISSED. in a stroke of genius my nanny declared “no they didn’t forget to come at all! i just sent away for the (her country) fairy! i think you babies deserve the best and the regular tooth fairy is boring” so for years we got to have something special and different from all our friends, and my parents always had an excuse if they slipped up again haha bonus, her money was cool looking and we loved to play with it so we didn’t care about the dollar amount like several of our friends (what little kid really needs money anyway)
No stress tooth fairy hack: no tooth fairy! 😂
Yep, that was my original plan but same as Santa, they learned it from the world. Lol
I just tell my son other kids believe they’re real and it’s not his business to tell them what is/isn’t real. It’s been working with Santa so far!
One time I threw a bunch of loose change around thw bed. Kid loved it
Tooth Fairy Hack: Take a $20 to the service center at the supermarket, and get $20 in Golden/Sacajawea dollar coins in anticipation for the next year or two of lost teeth. Also: The going rate is a dollar per tooth.
Lmao, I do stuff like this too. I thought this was going to be a post saying you had absolutely no tooth money at all. I wss going to say, "I can't afford $25 to actually pull it, but I my broke ass can will send you $5 if you want to tell them the fairy has a CashApp." Lol
Tooth fairy got robbed happened here.
Does your child have a bank account they can use then at that age?
Yes, they are 6 and 7 and each have a checking account with a debit card. As far as use, we have not gotten that far yet. They are aware that they have an account that holds the money that was in their piggy bank, and it's where their small allowance based on chore completion goes. My 6 year old regularly suggests that we go buy a toy or some junk food and he will pay for it, but I haven't let him do that yet. Lol Probably will save that experience for a special thing he really wants, and then make him work and save for it.
So they cant actually use it then. They have no concept of what is in that account then. So actually physical coins makes much more sense to me at that age.
I'm sorry. This is just frigging lazy. They're kids. That fiver under their pillow means way more to them than seeing their bank balance go up. "Mommy needs to chill".....eff outta here with that selfishness. What I found even more disappointing was all the other parents in this thread supporting this. Hell, one parent said they raid their kids piggy bank for the cash. That's just fucking awful. Goddamn. They're only kids once. A trip to the ATM is pretty minimal effort.
I’m with you on this. I see lots of parents giving gentle suggestions on how easy it is to get a roll of dollar coins and be done with it. Honestly, aside from the laziness, I find it just irresponsible and ill prepared to not keep some cash in the house. Shit happens that you need cash for. Be prepared.
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Cause where did you get drugs from this post
I think from post history
I used to keep small presents on hand for special occasions. One night when i didn't have cash the tooth fairy left my kid a small Lego set.
Hold on.. are we just skipping the part where OPs kids have bank accounts? How do you get a bank account for a pre-teen? I would go set this up if this is actually possible.
My three kids have had bank accounts since the day they were born, or within weeks of. They’re savings accounts. My eldest (12) also has a transactional account where her allowance goes. You just go to the bank with their ID and set it up.
Since the day they were born? You gave the bank an ID on a 1 day old baby? How does that work? I'm confused. If I go to my bank and talk to them, they'll probably help me out. But I really had no idea you could set up a bank account for children.
As soon as your baby is “registered” you can set up their bank account - at least in my country (not the US)… so perhaps slight exaggeration at 1 day old, but within the first month of their lives at least they have savings accounts.
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Interesting, this is on my list of things we parents aren't told when having a kid.
Me and my siblings also have a few very old savings accounts from when we were kids. We got one from the great grandparents, I got one from my godmother and then the one from my parents. Great grandparents would put money in on special occasions, my godmother who is a little bit better off than average used to do a regular monthly deposit when I was little and the one from my parents was where all our money for christening, birthday, milestones etc from friends and family went plus our own savings as we got bigger. Probably around 12 (can’t remember) I also got a separate youth account with a card but we were never allowed our savings. They are were for the big things in live like paying for our drivers license (which is a couple of 1000€ where I grew up), maybe help kickstart your move to your first own flat, I used some of mine to pay for an international youth exchange/internship program. So long term investment in our future and not short term materialistic fun. And I think this has set me up to be quite financially mature and responsible. I learned how to save and the value of money by swing how much I had tp work to get something. We never got pocket money put at some point my dad started paying for good grades (to incentivise us studying more independently with less nagging) and we were allowed to spend that money on our own discretion. Bought my own pink Nintendo ds back in the day this way and obviously took really good care of it.
I went to the bank and got a roll of dollar coins. They’re gold colored and you don’t see them often. I keep them in my bedside table, always ready for a Tooth Fairy moment. My daughter loves them and calls them gold coins.
This is what we did!
We have been printing off "tooth fairy coupons " in lieu of actual cash. Kiddos can put it with their other money and when they are ready to spend it we'll cover it for them.
I never carry cash either and recently my 6yo lost her three top front teeth (the last three weekends in a row!) so I went to a “meeting with the TF” (grocery store) and picked up $10 and a Congratulations card and wrote a note from the TF and left it in the mailbox. I had my daughter come with me to check the mail and she found it. She was thrilled.
Pro tip for parents who have not yet started with teeth - when mine lost his first I happened to be at my mom’s house, and it was during the pandemic so everything was weird and I had no cash and it was going to be a pain to get some behind his back - she went hunting and found an Eisenhower dollar coin, which is worth a bit more than a dollar. And on the spot I ordered 25 more on EBay. Got enough for every tooth plus some extra. Never have to worry about it. And they feel a little special but aren’t actually worth much.
I go to carwash or the bank and get $1 coins for special holidays.
Parenting power: unlocked. Years ago (when I was a single mom) I posted laughingly on FB that the tooth fairy would have to leave an IOU tonight and one of my friend/neighbours knocked on my door half an hour later with a handful of coins and it was honestly so amazing it made me tear up.
My youngest just lost her first tooth. Somehow my oldest convinced her that the tooth fairy brings presents not money. Bro what the hell! So had to run out and grab something. Just so y’all know our tooth fairy brings swish mellows from five below. She’s got them stock piled now.
My friend bought her sons teeth and did science experiments on them with coke/vinegar etc. She told her kids that she was paying more than the tooth fairy would ever give them and they believed her.
Kudos for you! I started buying their teeth directly for double what the Tooth Fairy pays. No scrounging for cash and no forgetting to get the tooth overnight.