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?