Does your 10 year old believe in the tooth fairy?

jalaiaa

My 10 year old niece, who no longer believes in Santa, is staying at our house tonight and lost a tooth. She is telling me that she is going to leave it for the tooth fairy and is actually talking like she still believes. I was thinking of telling her that the tooth fairy only comes to your own house and to wait and leave it under her pillow tomorrow (not because of the money but because I don't want to have to wake up in the middle of the night to figure out how to find the tooth and place the money). Before I said this she told me that last time she lost a tooth the tooth fairy forgot. So I feel compelled to just figure it out and plan on waking up to leave the money. But I kind of feel like I'm being played and she's putting up this act like she does just to get the money  I already know what I'm going to do, but want to know for pure curiosity sake, does your 10 year old believe in the tooth fairy?

shopgirl78

I don't believe they do.   I am an RTI teacher and my largest group is 5th grade and from our various conversations...probably not.  Unless she is just really naive. Your niece is living it up for the $ ; ).  (Granted my school is high ELL/ESL and lower achieving...it could be a cultural difference).

neverblushed

Kids that age don't really believe, but they WANT to believe and they fear that if they don't play along, they won't get presents/money.  So it's not strictly like they're playing you.  I played along until my DD said I didn't have to give her money anymore.  She was about 11.

jmp2003

I want to say mine does. We haven't given him any reason not to believe. He has a couple of kids at school that say Santa and Bunny man don't exist, but I have never heard him tell me otherwise. He has a younger brother, so that may be part of it, but I think he likes the idea of them being real.

Mama-Bear

Heck, my 5.5 year old knows about the tooth fairy and Easter bunny.  We almost told him about Santa but didn't want that ruined yet.  He almost spilled the EB beans to a neighbor the other day so I quickly had to wisper in his ear that it's our secret and not to tell his friends.

tealowl

neverblushed:

Kids that age don't really believe, but they WANT to believe and they fear that if they don't play along, they won't get presents/money.  So it's not strictly like they're playing you.  I played along until my DD said I didn't have to give her money anymore.  She was about 11.

 Exact same thing here. My DD is 11, and the last couple years I think she was doing just because it's fun, and she still likes to do 'little kid things'. Plus she'll do anything for more money for Pokemon cards.

lollitots

My eight year old is seriously questioning it. I think her believing days are pretty much over. I would just play along with it. Have her put the tooth in an envelope to make it easy to find (then substitute out for money). You only have to wait until she falls asleep, not wake up in the middle of the night.

Shopaholic30

My 9 year old figured it out ON HIS OWN around the age of 6, maybe 7. 10 seems a bit old for them to believe that considering 95% of the kids in their school that age will be telling them the truth. But hey, every child is raised different and has their own brain. Why don't you just call her parents and ask them?