It’s that time of year. The holidays are coming! But terrible problems are also looming. Yes, you know that guy. “Mom, is Santa Claus real?”
Hard to answer! Maybe you’ll choose the classic “What to do?” you think? But if that’s not enough, one mom on TikTok may have found the perfect response.
“This morning, when my four-year-old asked me if the tooth fairy was real, I thought I stumbled upon my best parenting secret,” KC Davis of @domesticblisters shared on TikTok.
Davis, who’s known for her content about cleaning and keeping a home, found herself in a dilemma familiar to most parents: You really don’t want to crush your kids’ dreams, but at the same time, they’re asking you a straight-up question.
“I’m very passionate about answering questions honestly, especially direct questions that kids ask me, but I also don’t want to ruin the magic for them if they’re not ready to move on,” she said.
So, what did she do? She simply asked back.
“I had an idea and said, ‘Do you want the magic answer or the adult answer?’ And she said, ‘Please give the magic answer. “I said, ‘Yes! The Tooth Fairy is real.’
It’s really that simple! Children are often much smarter than we think. If they ask, they probably know the answer. But if they want a chance to retain the joy of childhood for another year or two, why not let them.
Parents in the comments loved Davis’ point, with many sharing their own silly experiences trying to answer the question.
“I did the same thing for Santa. My 8-year-old responded “adult.” So I broke the news. She looked me dead in the eye and said, “We’re just going to have to pretend.” And we pretended it never happened.
“My mom said ‘I’m the Tooth Fairy,’ and I thought she was the Tooth Fairy. It was a magical and grown-up answer.
“Awesome!” another user added. “I remember when my younger daughter asked my older daughter if Santa Claus was real, my older daughter said ‘as real as the Tooth Fairy’ and my younger daughter smiled with satisfaction.”
See, if they want to believe it, they will believe it! There’s nothing wrong with retaining a little magic if you can.