National Tooth Fairy Day
February 28 is National Tooth Fairy Day, celebrating this favorite childhood visitor. Because losing baby teeth can be traumatic, the Tooth Fairy helps lots of kids be brave enough to make it through this rite of passage. Knowing that the Tooth Fairy will visit to claim the lost tooth often helps young children work through any anxiety they might feel about loose teeth.
Kids lose 20 teeth as their mouths mature; the first tooth is usually lost between the ages of 4 and 6. For parents, the first lost tooth is a rite of passage and a transition from toddlerhood to childhood. For kids, it can sometimes be very scary, and the tooth fairy is a great way to dispel some of the fear about losing teeth.
History of the Tooth Fairy
The history of the tooth fairy can be traced to ancient times, when parents believed that children’s teeth had to be specially protected when they fell out to ward off evil spirits. In medieval times, parents would bury teeth to protect their children from evil spirits. The tooth fairy visits with each lost tooth; kids leave the teeth under their pillow, and the tooth fairy harvests the tooth and leaves money (and sometimes a little fairy dust) in its place.
Tooth Fairy Movies
Who wouldn’t want to see Dwayne Johnson (formerly The Rock) in a tooth fairy movie dressed up in a tutu and fairy wings? Tooth Fairy, starring Dwayne Johnson, Ashley Judd, and Julie Andrews, came out in 2010 and is available streaming and on DVD/Blu-ray. Johnson plays a hockey player with the nickname “tooth fairy” for all the teeth he has knocked out of his opponents’ mouths. When he makes a bad choice, he is sentenced to serve a week of tooth fairy duty by Lily (Andrews), head of the tooth fairy department.
The sequel, Tooth Fairy 2, was the 2012 follow-up, starring Larry the Cable Guy, who assumes the role of a tooth fairy to earn the love of the girl of his dreams. Tooth Fairy 2 is also on DVD and streaming. Both Tooth Fairy movies make great family films that pay homage to the tooth fairy tradition – with hilarious twists.
This year to celebrate National Tooth Fairy Day, why not enjoy a tooth fairy movie with your kids?
It’s really fascinating how the people from ancient times would come up with beliefs like the tooth fairy. Those kind of imagination is a clear indication that human beings have brilliant minds.