Mom shares her 'magic answer' for tough questions about the Tooth Fairy and Santa Claus

Most parents will eventually have the moment when they need to tell their kids the truth about the Tooth Fairy, Easter Bunny and Santa Claus. However, a big part of the big reveal is determining whether their child is old enough to hear the truth.

Tell them when they’re too young and you’re killing a magical part of childhood. They could also tell their friends and ruin it for them, too. KC Davis, a licensed therapist and popular TikTok mom, had a stroke of genius when her 4-year-old daughter came to her with an important question about the Tooth Fairy. “I think I accidentally discovered my best parenting hack this morning when my 4-year-old asked me if the tooth fairy was real,” Davis, known as @domesticblisters on the platform, opened her video.

Davis is also the author of the bestseller “How to Keep House While Drowning.”

As a parent who values honest relationships with her 2 daughters, the question put her in a tough place. “I'm pretty big about answering questions honestly, especially direct questions that my kids ask me, but I also don’t want to spoil magic things for them if they're not ready to move on,” she told her 1.6 million followers.

But Davis was able to come up with an honest response that kept the magic alive for her daughter. “In a stroke of genius, I said, ‘Do you want the magic answer or the grownup answer?’ And she said, ‘The magic answer, please.’ I said, ‘Yes! The tooth fairy is real,’” she continued.

“When my daughter asked me about the Tooth Fairy, my gut just told me, I don't think she really wants to opt out of this yet,” she told Upworthy. “I don’t even think she consciously understands that the grown-up answer means I was going to tell her no. And that's sort of the genius of it; her mind didn’t even really go to that because magic is still such a pull for her, which means she's still at an age where I would be sort of ruining it for her if I told her the ‘truth.’"

Some commenters shared how they handled the question from their kids. “I did the same thing for Santa. My 8 yo said ‘adult’ answer. So I broke the news. She looked me dead in the eyes and said, ‘We’re still going to pretend.’ And then we pretended it never happened,” Kiki wrote. “I remember when my youngest daughter asked my oldest daughter if Santa Claus was real, and my oldest daughter said, ‘It is as real as the Tooth Fairy.’ The youngest daughter smiled contentedly,” SwimBikeRun added.

“I always told my daughter the magic was real as long as she believed. She told me recently (16) that she appreciated that. She never felt lied to and got to enjoy the magic of childhood,” Mamamantha wrote.

Although Davis thinks it’s important to preserve the magic of childhood, she understands why some parents are cautious about being dishonest with their children. “I think every parent needs to make the choice that feels best to them,” she told Upworthy. “I understand not wanting to break your kid's trust, and I think that’s why I liked asking it this way because it still gives kids a choice and they can trust you to respond to what they need and want while allowing you to create the magic.”