Money Moral Dilemma: Is the Tooth Fairy being stingy?

This week's MoneySaver who wants advice asks...
One of my six-year-old daughters tells me the Tooth Fairy has been leaving a £5 note under her schoolfriend's pillow for every tooth she loses. £5! And I have twins! Should I tell my daughters that the Tooth Fairy has run out of £5 notes - so they should be grateful for the 50p they found under their pillow - or even that the Tooth Fairy doesn't exist and they should stop wiggling their teeth?

Unfortunately the MSE team can't always answer money moral dilemma questions as contributions are often emailed in or suggested in person. They are intended to be enjoyed as a point of debate and discussed at face value.

If you haven’t already, join the forum to reply!

Got a Money Moral Dilemma of your own? [URL="mailto: mmd@moneysavingexpert.com"]Suggest an MMD[/URL].
[purplesignup][/purplesignup]
Follow MSE on other Social Media: MSE Facebook, MSE Twitter, MSE Deals Twitter, Instagram, Threads, Join the MSE ForumGet the Free MoneySavingExpert Money Tips E-mailReport inappropriate posts: click the report buttonFlag a news story: news@moneysavingexpert.com
«1345

Comments

  • MovingForwards
    MovingForwards Posts: 16,860
    First Anniversary First Post Name Dropper Photogenic
    Forumite
    Tell them there is a trainee tooth fairy and they are not allowed to put more than 50p under the pillow.

    If you say there is no tooth fairy are you going to admit there is no santa?

    You prepared to deal with the fall out from the parents of the kid who pays £5 when your kid tells them there is no tooth fairy?

    Kids are not kids for long, let them enjoy the magic for a while.
    Mortgage started 2020, aiming to clear it in 2026.
  • shiny76
    shiny76 Posts: 548
    First Anniversary Combo Breaker First Post
    Forumite
    Honesty is the cheapest policy!

    My mum solved to competition of the most generous tooth fairy (for my brother's peers) by raiding his money box every time a tooth needing collecting.

    He was happy as he was getting 'all these coins'. She was happy as she recycled the same coin over and over as he didn't keep a total! :D
  • shiny76
    shiny76 Posts: 548
    First Anniversary Combo Breaker First Post
    Forumite
    shiny76 wrote: »
    Honesty is the cheapest policy!

    My mum solved to competition of the most generous tooth fairy (for my brother's peers) by raiding his money box every time a tooth needing collecting.

    He was happy as he was getting 'all these coins'. She was happy as she recycled the same coin over and over as he didn't keep a total! :D
    Just thought, she probably pulled the same stunt on me :mad:
  • Owain_Moneysaver
    Owain_Moneysaver Posts: 11,357
    First Anniversary Name Dropper First Post
    Forumite
    MSE_Sarah wrote: »
    One of my six-year-old daughters tells me the Tooth Fairy has been leaving a £5 note under her schoolfriend's pillow for every tooth she loses.

    And do you really believe her?
    A kind word lasts a minute, a skelped erse is sair for a day.
  • silvercar
    silvercar Posts: 46,865
    Academoney Grad Name Dropper Photogenic First Anniversary
    Ambassador
    Would it mean to suggest to your daughter that the tooth fairy doesn't pay a fiver so her friend's mother must be leaving the £5??
    I'm a Forum Ambassador on The Coronavirus Boards as well as the housing, mortgages and student money saving boards. I volunteer to help get your forum questions answered and keep the forum running smoothly. Forum Ambassadors are not moderators and don't read every post. If you spot an illegal or inappropriate post then please report it to forumteam@moneysavingexpert.com (it's not part of my role to deal with this). Any views are mine and not the official line of MoneySavingExpert.com.
  • 50p is ok from the tooth fairy

    Or you could come clean and tell her there is no such thing as the toothfairy.

    Then coming up to December you could drop the same bombshell about Santa

    Only kidding

    No I think 50p to a quid, are decent
    With love, POSR <3
  • lucyhope
    lucyhope Posts: 494
    Name Dropper First Post First Anniversary Debt-free and Proud!
    Forumite
    When my DDs were small the tooth fairy left 50p if the tooth came out on it's own and £1 if they'd had to go to the dentist because they had to be brave, my DGDs get £1 per tooth
    Sealed Pot Challenge member 28
    2018 total £1520
    2019 total £8995
  • Owain_Moneysaver
    Owain_Moneysaver Posts: 11,357
    First Anniversary Name Dropper First Post
    Forumite
    Maybe the tooth fairy might leave a book token instead of a £5er; at least that way it can't be spent on sweeties.
    A kind word lasts a minute, a skelped erse is sair for a day.
  • silvercar
    silvercar Posts: 46,865
    Academoney Grad Name Dropper Photogenic First Anniversary
    Ambassador
    lucyhope wrote: »
    When my DDs were small the tooth fairy left 50p if the tooth came out on it's own and £1 if they'd had to go to the dentist because they had to be brave, my DGDs get £1 per tooth

    Our tooth fairy gave less for teeth the dentist had to pull, as the fairy really wasn’t impressed with rotting teeth and wished they had been looked after better.
    I'm a Forum Ambassador on The Coronavirus Boards as well as the housing, mortgages and student money saving boards. I volunteer to help get your forum questions answered and keep the forum running smoothly. Forum Ambassadors are not moderators and don't read every post. If you spot an illegal or inappropriate post then please report it to forumteam@moneysavingexpert.com (it's not part of my role to deal with this). Any views are mine and not the official line of MoneySavingExpert.com.
  • olgadapolga
    olgadapolga Posts: 2,268
    Name Dropper First Post First Anniversary Xmas Saver!
    Forumite
    silvercar wrote: »
    Our tooth fairy gave less for teeth the dentist had to pull, as the fairy really wasn’t impressed with rotting teeth and wished they had been looked after better.

    But not all teeth extracted by the dentist are rotten.

    My DD had two perfectly healthy teeth removed as she needed braces.

    My DS had two healthy teeth removed because the adult teeth were not pushing the "baby" teeth out but were coming through behind them at an odd angle. Again, healthy teeth.

    I think that they each got £5 for the pair. Definitely not £5 per tooth.
This discussion has been closed.
Meet your Ambassadors

Categories

  • All Categories
  • 342.5K Banking & Borrowing
  • 249.9K Reduce Debt & Boost Income
  • 449.4K Spending & Discounts
  • 234.6K Work, Benefits & Business
  • 607.1K Mortgages, Homes & Bills
  • 172.8K Life & Family
  • 247.4K Travel & Transport
  • 1.5M Hobbies & Leisure
  • 15.8K Discuss & Feedback
  • 15.1K Coronavirus Support Boards