Have you ever been so overwhelmed by the chaos of parenthood that you make a mistake you instantly regret? Such was the case for TikTok dad @dereklipp when he suddenly realised he had given his son, Dawson, way too much money from the tooth fairy!
Derek may have had one drink too many the night before when he played ‘tooth fairy’. Intending to give his son $20, the unintentionally generous dad wound up confusing a $100 note for a $10 one. Ouch!
Note to self: NEVER handle money when drinking!
Parents upping the ‘Tooth Fairy’ game
Derek’s reaction when he realised he’d given his kiddo much more money than he intended is priceless and very relatable.
@dereklipp_ #toothfairy #dawson #son ♬ The Luck You Got – The High Strung
$110 is way too much for a baby tooth, right? Especially given today’s inflation and rising cost of living.
Yet, many parents have become more generous with what the good ‘ol tooth fairy leaves under the pillow.
As Mark Burhenne, a former dentist who runs AsktheDentist.com, told the Wall Street Journal, many parents are opting to gift “cash, a video game, sometimes an iPhone,” in what he believes is their attempt to one-up each other.
For UK mum, Chidera Nig, it was important to give her daughter an “extra Tooth Fairy experience,” after having an unpleasant experience when she lost her first baby tooth.
Chidera told the Wall Street Journal, she and her husband gave their daughter £60 (AU$116), a letter from the tooth fairy herself, a silver fairy necklace, and a Louis Vuitton bracelet.
The latter was purchased by Chidera’s husband when their little one was born. Losing her first tooth seemed like the perfect occasion to give her the lavish gift!
Are the days of our childhood where we’d receive a few coins for a baby tooth long gone?
The era of ‘Inchstones’
Nowadays, parents are going bigger by celebrating their little ones with lavish gifts in a trend being referred to as ‘inchstones,’ or mini milestones. This growing phenomenon has been identified as a top trend by Pinterest for 2024. The small, but significant milestones include:
- potty training and baby tooth rewards and gifts
- beginning or end-of-the-year school parties
- ‘my first tooth’ parties
However, not everyone is a fan of this trend, with some believing it leads children to comparison and competition with each other.
Additionally, the generous gifts they find under their pillows may lead children to believe they can get something for doing nothing while also giving them a false sense of accomplishment.
In Derek’s case, he was trying to give his son $20, not $110. Even so, many took to the comments section to express that $20 was still pretty generous, with many stating that $5 seemed like a more appropriate amount.
Derek’s response was, “He normally gets $5, I was feeling generous that night with $20.” Eek!
Tooth Fairy is not immune to ‘cozzie livs’ inflation
Growing up, El Raton (the Mouse), Mexico’s version of the tooth fairy, would usually leave my siblings and me a few hundred pesos under the pillow. It was just enough to buy some candy. If we were lucky, we’d get a few shiny US quarters!
With the rising inflation, data from America shows that the national average for those pearly whites has risen from $1.50 in 2000 to $6.23 in 2023.
However, according to a Delta Dental Survey, the rising cost of living has led to a significant drop in notes and coins from the tooth fairy, with the US national average per tooth dropping from $6.23 to $5.84 within the last year.
It sounds like parents, err, the tooth fairy, are also feeling worn down after two years of higher-than-normal inflation and cost of living.
What we’ve learned
We all need some way to unwind after the daily stresses of life and parenthood. However, it might be best not to mix money and alcohol, as TikTok dad Derek Lipp might agree.
Although Dawson happily benefited from Derek’s gaffe, sustaining such generosity for future teeth could prove quite challenging, to say the least.
Happy tooth fairying!🧚✨
