When to tell the "truth"/whats real to kids?

So DD is 6 and DS is 4.
I tell them that the tooth fairy and Santa are real.

But they also ask me if aliens are real - I say "Nobody has ever seen a real alien. There might be aliens, but nobody has ever seen one so right now its not real"

They also saw on Youtube a "river monster" that these people caught. I told them that there are no such thing as a 'river monster' and that it was just a dude in a mask.

Then I thought...aliens and 'river monsters' are not that different than Santa/Tooth Fairy.

So Im conflicted, should I be telling them that aliens and monsters are real?

I can't seem to justify to myself why its ok to tell them that Santa/Tooth Fairy are real but its not ok to tell them that Aliens and Monsters are real.

What do you all think?
When did you tell your kids that Santa/Tooth Fairy/Easter Bunny are not real?
What about when they asked about aliens? monsters, etc? (did you tell them those are real?)

When to tell the

Scary things that aren’t real - I tell the truth.

Fun things that aren’t real - i haven’t told them yet that they aren’t real. They believe in the magic.

When to tell the

Aliens, monsters, anything scary that could keep them up at night were never real. No sense letting their little minds wander off and be scared of something that can never hurt them. Santa, Easter Bunny, Tooth Fairy... all good feelings from knowing they are "real". I never told them that they weren't real, it just happened on its own. They admitted that in 5th grade they knew it was all make believe, but kept the "magic" of it going so they wouldn't get socks and underwear for Christmas because when you stop believing, that's what Santa brings you. The tooth fairy faded away sometime during 2nd or 3rd grade. She didn't come one night and nothing was questioned and it was a relief because those teeth started falling out like crazy!! So, keep the magic alive when it makes them feel good and excited and don't worry about calling it a lie. You're creating the atmosphere of something magical. I still like to believe in the magic of Santa myself and the Easter Bunny still hides eggs over here, but now they contain money amounts. No one believes anymore, but in a sense everyone in this house believes in the wonder of it and how it made you feel. I would let them come to the conclusions on their own because then they are still in charge of their feelings, ruining it for them at some point, I don't think they will ever forget and some of the magic might go with it. I know some parents that wanted to tell their kids before a certain age so they wouldn't get made fun of. You end up knowing your kids best and you'll know what to do. For me, the magic lived on.

Re: When to tell the "truth"/whats real to kids?

Re: When to tell the "truth"/whats real to kids?

Your children are 6 and 4. They are still little kids. There is no need for them to know "the truth" about anything scary. The tooth fairy and Santa are fun and magical. Let them believe.

Why take that from them? There's no harm in it. All their friends are going to get visits from the tooth fairy, I would never want my kids feeling left out of something fun.

Re: When to tell the "truth"/whats real to kids?

Re: When to tell the "truth"/whats real to kids?

When to tell the

Ok - good points about scary vs not scary.

I'll tell them that the scary stuff (aliens, monsters) are not real.
But I'll keep up the Santa and Tooth Fairy thing.