The tooth mouse came again last night - or did he?

So Quinn is too bright to really be conned by the whole Father Christmas, Easter Bunny, Tooth Mouse thing.

He first asked me if I was Father Christmas when he had just turned 3. I managed to dodge and evade the question fairly easilly then using the age old magician ploy of distraction, as I thought it was too soon to break the illusion. Since late last year he has been questioning things more and more, and now especially being at school and chatting with his peers they have all worked out that it's a hoax. A lucrative one indeed, but a hoax none the less.

He asked me out right a few months back whether I am the Tooth Mouse. I was about to concede and tell him that yes he is right it's all just fantasy. Then I decided it wouldn't be fair to Griffin, because once Quinn knows the truth he will not be able to keep himself from revealing all to Griff, and I still have the scars from the wrath I envoked in my little sister when I broke the news to her (she was 6.5 at the time).

So here's my take on it. I don't lie, and I don't tell the whole truth either. I have told him that no one knows if it is true or not. Like the Narnia story - did it happen or was it just a dream? No one knows, BUT if you don't believe in it, then surely it won't exist? So I don't know who the Tooth Mouse is, but if you put a tooth out and money arrives. Something is happening. Right?

Ok, I had some better way to explain it at the time and it all sounded very reasonable.

So yesterday Quinn lost his second tooth. It was quite loose anyway and it got bashed out during a judo grapple. I told Quinn he would probably get more from the Tooth Mouse if he wrote a nice letter. He knew I was bargaining with him and using it as a way to get him to do some extra hand- writing practice...

When he was done he showed me and said, 'Look this is a good clean tooth, the tooth mouse will love it, I am sure it is worth R5. Then I think the writing is worth R3 because it is nice and neat.' He then did a quick mental sum, and said, '..er, and I didn't argue about it and was very good so that can be R2...?'.

At bed time I tucked him in and told him to put his tooth mouse pillow next to his head on the bed. He said, 'Ok, and where are you going to put my R10? ... er I mean where is the Tooth Mouse going to put my R10?'.

Um. Just who is conning who here?