the toothfairy: wwyd?

[Anonymous]

DD (age 5) lost her first tooth 3 days ago and i slipped $2 under her pillow. She was so totally over the moon and excited and carefully wrote her name on the bill. She is 5, so she also has no concept of money, so didn't really care about the amount - but did inform me that her BFF got twenty.

In any case, we just flew into the in-laws home for spring break and GM told me (in front of child) that she can't believe I was so cheap and thst she gave her daughter $25 for each tooth and that was 25 years ago. (pretty sure that went right over DD's head)

She also told DD that the tooth fairy will come "again" tonight to visit her - i guess GM wants to make up for my "cheapness"

To which i replied - "of course, the toothfairy will come again - as soon as you lose a tooth"

Do I die on the wall for this "principle" (aka - the tooth fairy only comes when you lose your teeth and not at random intervals to leave you"extra" money?)?
Or do I let it slide and just pocket the money? (cause, again, my child has no concept of money yet)

[Anonymous]

OP again: I'm being the better person and taking the high road and will not even discuss the whole "cheap" issue. This is MIL, par for the course. Unchanging.

[Anonymous]

If my MIL undermined me and put money under DDs pillow against my express wishes, the shit would hit the fan.

[Anonymous]

$25 for each tooth?

I gave $5 for each and my friends thought that was way too much.

[Anonymous]

She already had her shot to play tooth fairy. Now it's your turn and your rules.

[Anonymous]

My kids get $1. You can tell your MIL that. We're in NW DC if that makes a difference. I've heard all sorts of things - even $100 per tooth (one of DD's friends). By 8 they realize it's all a lie.

Why don't you just have a lighthearted conversation with MIL and point out that 20 x $25 is $500 - a lot for a little kid to have. Or make up something like the other parents at school get really annoyed if one kid gets more than $2 because they ruin it for every other kid.

[Anonymous]

I would just call it the Grandma Tooth Fairy - a different one that at your house. Let grandma give the $$.'

BTW, that is crazy excessive.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If my MIL undermined me and put money under DDs pillow against my express wishes, the shit would hit the fan.

OP here: this is how i feel.

I don't wish to cause a scene on the fourth hour in their home (esp when this happens all the time), but if she does put money there, i will tell DD it was GM.

And whoever suggested blaming the school parents, thank you. that is brilliant. she hates it when i present her the combined "in our preschool in bethesda, we don't do X" to her

[Anonymous]

I don't know what I'd actually do but she sounds like a real PITA.

[Anonymous]

First tooth was $5. We generally do $1 a tooth after that. $2 if the dentist had to pull a stubborn one. My parents think I am cheap, too.

[Anonymous]

OMG, OP!!!! $2 is way more than I would have expected. We got a quarter in the 80's. With inflation, that's less than 60 cents now! Who the hell gives their kid $20 for a tooth? $20 x 20 = $400 on just teeth! What did those kids do to get $20? That means to get $100, that kid just has to do some chores.

I think you should drop the grandma fight. I know how ridiculous it is for her to do that. But, she's going to do it anyway. And, you're just going to be angry. I think that life is better off letting go of stuff like this. There are a hundred worse things she could do.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OMG, OP!!!! $2 is way more than I would have expected. We got a quarter in the 80's. With inflation, that's less than 60 cents now! Who the hell gives their kid $20 for a tooth? $20 x 20 = $400 on just teeth! What did those kids do to get $20? That means to get $100, that kid just has to do some chores.

I think you should drop the grandma fight. I know how ridiculous it is for her to do that. But, she's going to do it anyway. And, you're just going to be angry. I think that life is better off letting go of stuff like this. There are a hundred worse things she could do.

This was me too!! DC gets a dollar. With the first tooth she also got a little fairy charm, but all other teeth after that were gold dollar coins. $20?? That's just crazy talk.

[Anonymous]

OP, I highly disagree that your five yr old has no concept of money at this age...or rather the amount.
I think she does, just not a very good grasp of it.

I think two dollars is a good amount.
I am 45 and always got nickel and dimed...(yes, literally) by my Tooth Fairy and was over the moon. And this was back in '75. Once I remember I got an actual quarter which to me at the time seemed like Heaven!!!!!!!!

I cannot believe now a days, the Tooth Fairy is giving out twenty dollar bills. Wow. How'd she get so rich? So sad because many families will feel more pressure to keep up w/the Joneses and this makes me sad.

Your daughter's GM was waay out of line for butting into the whole Tooth Fairy situation and I would be pissed at her calling you out like that in front of your child!!!! What nerve she has!!! Also, I would not let her give your daughter any money now because the Tooth Fairy has come and gone and won't be back until another tooth pops out like you said, right??!

I mean, does Santa come in the summertime and leave everyone popsicles in their stockings?

[Anonymous]

Grandma is muddying the waters. She had her chance to play Tooth Fairy. Also, it's not being cheap but rather keeping things in proportion and not creating entitled expectations. I would tell your MIL not to leave money, but if she does just tell your daughter that the money was from Grandma and the TF already came to the house when she got the tooth.

[Anonymous]

Take the money for the college fund.