Yesterday in the car on the way to dropping the kids off at school, Max and Grace were having a discussion about the Tooth Fairy. Max had lost a tooth and forgotten to check under his pillow before leaving for school. He made me promise not to touch his pillow, that if I made his bed I wouldn't move the pillow. (Make his bed?! Yeah Right!) Well, i promised i wouldn't touch his pillow so that his payment from the Tooth Fairy for his mangled, crusty, dirty little tooth would still be there when he got home.
Gracie, who is 6 and sometimes wise beyond her years, pipes up with her own thoughts. She said, "it doesn't really matter Max, because the parents are the one's who put the money under the pillows, they're really the Tooth Fairy." Max, was of course mortified, probably near tears trying to argue this with her. I asked her who had told her that, and she said "no one Mom, I just thought of it in my own brain (in her own brain!?), and it makes sense". "I just know it", she said. Well, it's hard to argue with that.
A Question.... Why do we, insist on telling our kids all these little "white lies" about fairies and Big Jolly Fat Men and Easter Bunnies on Growth Hormones? I'm not at all saying there is anything wrong with it. I loved the fantasy of knowing that Santa Clause would be sneaking in my house at any moment and if i could just stay awake for two more minutes, maybe I'd hear him, or catch a glimpse. Then waking up at 4 in the morning to the sound of Bing Crosby playing loudly on the record player, because that's what Santa like to put on before he left. The idea that my parents could possibly afford to do all of that just wasn't even an option, it had to be Magic.
I also remember the day my Mom told me the dreaded truth. I cried like i had just lost my dearest friend, while my sister snickered and tried not to fall out of her chair laughing in the next room. But luckily, my parents, especially my Dad, are still kids at heart, and even though we knew the truth about all the magical things we'd grown up believing in, they made sure there was still magic in our house. In fact, my father, to this day, insists that Santa Clause is real, and you know what, I'm inclined to believe in him too.
So, what to do? I've got a 6 year old who very obviously knows there isn't a tooth fairy, and will probably very soon make the connection to Santa and the Easter bunny as well. But, I've got an 8 year old son, tender-hearted and lovely, who will probably be crushed, just like I was, to find out the "truth".
This is going to be an interesting Christmas :)
-Jess
Gracie, who is 6 and sometimes wise beyond her years, pipes up with her own thoughts. She said, "it doesn't really matter Max, because the parents are the one's who put the money under the pillows, they're really the Tooth Fairy." Max, was of course mortified, probably near tears trying to argue this with her. I asked her who had told her that, and she said "no one Mom, I just thought of it in my own brain (in her own brain!?), and it makes sense". "I just know it", she said. Well, it's hard to argue with that.
A Question.... Why do we, insist on telling our kids all these little "white lies" about fairies and Big Jolly Fat Men and Easter Bunnies on Growth Hormones? I'm not at all saying there is anything wrong with it. I loved the fantasy of knowing that Santa Clause would be sneaking in my house at any moment and if i could just stay awake for two more minutes, maybe I'd hear him, or catch a glimpse. Then waking up at 4 in the morning to the sound of Bing Crosby playing loudly on the record player, because that's what Santa like to put on before he left. The idea that my parents could possibly afford to do all of that just wasn't even an option, it had to be Magic.
I also remember the day my Mom told me the dreaded truth. I cried like i had just lost my dearest friend, while my sister snickered and tried not to fall out of her chair laughing in the next room. But luckily, my parents, especially my Dad, are still kids at heart, and even though we knew the truth about all the magical things we'd grown up believing in, they made sure there was still magic in our house. In fact, my father, to this day, insists that Santa Clause is real, and you know what, I'm inclined to believe in him too.
So, what to do? I've got a 6 year old who very obviously knows there isn't a tooth fairy, and will probably very soon make the connection to Santa and the Easter bunny as well. But, I've got an 8 year old son, tender-hearted and lovely, who will probably be crushed, just like I was, to find out the "truth".
This is going to be an interesting Christmas :)
-Jess
1 comment:
I remember the day Mom told Missy that Santa wasn't real. She flat out refused to believe her, REFUSED!!! Unfortunately, none of my children believe in the Tooth Fairy, Easter Bunny, or Santa but somehow they still believe in monsters. I don't get it??
Love,
Hanna
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