Today at “Mommy Monsters” I write about a highly controversial parenting topic: The Tooth Fairy.
Like the Easter Bunny and Santa Claus, some parents refuse to get caught up in the whole childhood fantasy train because they are afraid the child won’t trust them any longer, once they find out the truth. Won’t believe that the many other invisible entities we talk about — God and angels and saints among them — will be tossed out, too.
To be honest, it’s not something that has ever bothered me much. Granted, we put much more emphasis on St. Nicholas at our house than Santa Claus, but I’ve never really worried about them not being able to distinguish real from fantasy for the simple reason that I TREAT them very differently.
Apart from a seasonal appearance, we don’t treat the childhood myths in the same way. God and the saints are a part of our family, and we talk about them every day. We turn to them in good times and bad. We live in a way that is going to please them.
With the Easter Bunny and Tooth Fairy, we break out the story from time to time to please ourselves, to add a little fun and color to our lives.
What do you think … How do you treat the subject?
Life on the Road Less Traveled 
Oh, great question!
We treat Santa, the Tooth Fairy, and company in a similar way – the same as we treat storybook characters or imaginary friends right now, I suppose. In our house, the Tooth Fairy especially is a way to bring a little fun and comfort to what can otherwise be a slightly scary experience as teeth fall out and changes happen.
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Why are you promoting God and Christianity when you have pictures of fairies on your wall? Have you ever read the bible and understand that God and fairies are like mixing gasoline with water?! I’ll venture to guess you have no idea what the Bible says about such things.
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P.S. You’re right about one thing — I don’t have any recollection about the Tooth fairy anywhere in Scripture. Do you?
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Why are you promoting God and Christianity when you have pictures of fairies on your wall? Have you ever read the bible and understand that God and fairies are like mixing gasoline with water?! I’ll venture to guess you have no idea what the Bible teaches about such things.
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The imagination is God’s gift — and some of the greatest stories ever written (think C.S. Lewis and his “Chronicles of narnia” or Tolkien’s “The Hobbit”) were works of fantasy. Even Jesus expressed profound truths through simple storytelling.
There is a big difference between historical, chronological truth and parable or metaphor — things that are true on the inside, even though they are not strictly true on the surface. As Christians, we have nothing to fear from the Tooth Fairy. It is just an expression of the creativity and kindness God created in us from the beginning.
God bless you!
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