I know Christmas is over but I was reading an article that ended with the question "When (if at all) do you plan on telling your kids (current or future) that Santa isn't real?" The comments that I read horrified me... Do people really believe that it is pointless lying garbage to let children believe in Santa Claus? A lot of people were saying that they would tell their kids the 'truth' from the beginning. They think that it damages the kids, for example: "I don't want to tell my kids about those things. Why would I want to lie to them? " "wouldn't let them believe in lies and give them the truth from the beginning and give them the chance to believe in good morals and not nonsense. as long as they are kids they will have questions about santa and parents are going to keep lying to their children and expect them to grow up not to be liars. no sense there.and that will be passed from one generation to the other. teach morals not lies so they grow up trusting their closest protectors mom and dad." "Never tell them that there is such a thing so that way, they will not be disappointed/hurt down the road. Eventually it will come out and what parent wants to go through their child not trusting what they say after that point." "I never believed in santa, and I plan to tell my kids the truth from the start." " have taught my daughter from the beginning that there is no such thing as Santa. Why lie to a child?" "it's not realistic to not tell them. they will experience the heartbreak sooner or later. great chance for life lessons." I don't see anything wrong with it, in fact i think its healthy, especially for younger children- to grow their imaginations. I just feel so bad for all the kids who will miss out on the magic of Santa all together because their parents think its a good life lesson... They're just kids! Anyone else agree/disagree?
Kids have an active enough imagination of their own; they don't need adults putting even more fantasies into their brains. Me, if I ever have a kid, I have no plans to tell her the gifts came from Santa. And frankly, I think it's better to teach kids to appreciate the everyday magic in their own lives and to appreciate the good that exists in the world than to make them associate that sense of wonder with fantasy, as if life can't be incredible on its own.
Same here, I want my kids to know I love them. I was personally pretty annoyed with my Santa situation, because I figured it out at about 8 and my parents kept lying to me until I was 11 and then acted like I should be incredulous when they told me.
I was never told santa was real as a kid. I didnt believe in him because my mom would always take us shopping to pick out what we wanted from the store. She always put "from santa" on all the gifts even though we knew they came from her and were under no assumption santa was real
It's funny that my grandparents and even my own parents went along with Santa, but much like in my mind and am not making fun of people. At a very early age I was aware there was no God. And at the same time I was aware that there was no Santa. Mostly I went along with the adult plans. But for the future for my children, I'd like to appreciate what they got and appreciate who gets it for them. Working hard, etc.
I see nothing wrong with telling them stories involving Santa Claus, or indeed faeries and goblins and three little pigs who could talk and build houses out of bricks, straw and twigs. However I do not like things being portrayed as reality, even to little ones. I grew up being informed that there were very kind people out there who wanted to make children happy, so for a few weeks a year they would dress up as someone called Santa Claus and would be referred to as such because he was playing a role based on many tales that came about long ago. I was never to tell other children that Santa was not real because he was, it was just the modern Santa was a tradition we carried on rather than being a physical person. It didn't spoil the magic of Christmas for me, and it spared me the horror some other children went through when they realised Santa was not real. With that said I do not think the magic of Santa is something children miss, there's plenty of magic to be had without resorting to making Santa anything other than part of a fairytale. Should children enter my life I have no intention of saying Santa Claus isn't real, but I do intend on making sure they know how modern Santa came about and why we carry on the tradition of having someone called Santa Claus giving presents to children.
Thanks for helping me be more open minded guys I guess it just seems like a bigger deal to me because santa was a big part of my childhood. I'm not quite sure why, but i loved the idea of someone who could be so generous. Even when I accepted that he wasn't a physical person, he still played a big part of my christmas. In fact this year i got to be santa for the first time (got a bunch of presents to surprise family because i knew we were short on money and i wanted everyone to have presents) and it was the best feeling ever. I respect that other people choose differently, and that santa is not the same for everyone
To me, and I am not trying to start a fight and stuff like that. I was taught at a very young age that there is no such thing as selfless altruism. This is not possible and people are not capable of it.
I'm actually planning to further the whole Santa Claus myth in a major way. In my belief it's not that Santa is a mythical being it's what he represents. He is just a man who gained immortality and keeps the hopes of children alive so that when they grow up they can continue to dream and believe in what otherwise seems impossible. What this world needs is more dreamers who believe that they can do anything given the right mind frame, persistence, and action. I'm one of the most persistent dreamers I know of. But, where has that led me? A life many are uncertain of how I got here and the adventure is just beginning to the top. Living in a make believe world where anything was possible is what got me here. Other plans include taking, who children will possibly come to see as the "real" Santa Claus due to perception from the future media, around to as many children's hospitals as possible every year. And 'modern Santa Claus' type like tale in it's follow-up which was actually thought up by L. Frank Baum kind of (the Wizard of Oz). Some children believe Buddy the Elf is real even. Including trying to organize a whole revitalized institute in answering the letters. Also giving away as much money as I can from this project to various charitable institutions. And no, it's not selfless - it gives me happiness and a feeling of closer belonging to the community. It fills a hole I had from losing my parents the second I was born, just by being able to give back. It's something I never imagined by getting involved with this project, but it had a Christmas Carol type effect on me just by realizing what and who this figure is. And luckily if it had that kind of impact on me, it will impact others in the same way. While Santa fades away from children, the notion and what he believes, comes back in a different form. Being older and living with the innocence of children. The figurehead may not be real, but what the figurehead represents should never be forgotten. Sometimes when a kid looks around seeing families breaking apart, families suffering due to the economy, and increase in health issues - what they need most at this time is hope.
I find that to be rather extreme. But back to the topic, telling children that Santa Claus is real isnt going to cause any lasting harm, nor trust issues. There really isnt a right or wrong path to go with this. Though personally, I will probably not teach them such. If only for the purpose of not going out of my way to claim something and take it back in a few years.
I wouldn't present the idea of Santa to my child, but if they hear about it somewhere else and choose to believe it, then I'm not going to burst their bubble. However, I'd hope I'd raise a kid that was smart enough to realize at an early age that things like that don't exist. At 4 years old, I marched into my father's bedroom and said "You are the tooth fairy, the Easter Bunny and Santa Claus". It wasn't a question, it was simply a statement. No adult or child had "ruined" the magic of anything for me, I was simply raised by an extremely intelligent father who taught me to question everything society presented me with, and I had therefore come to the conclusion on my own that the existence of these beings was impossible.
I'd give my kids gifts, obviously, if I had any kids. But I think the whole idea of lying to them about santa is wrong. Teaches them they can't really trust me. And it also teaches them to believe irrational things simply because authority figures tell them to. Reminds me of something else, beginning with R.
I wouldnt tell my kids about santa. I just dont get the whole appeal of it! Hes a freaky old man who wears a lot of red... I dont get it! Christmas is about more than presents and an imaginary fat guy with reindeer! Sorry to be the Grinch but thats my opinion
I'm having trouble finding the actual picture, but this was making the rounds around Christmas, and I thought it was totally perfect: Dear Ryan, You asked a really good question, "Are Mom and Dad really Santa?". We know that you want to know the answer, and we had to give it careful thought to know just what to say. The answer is no. We are not Santa. There is no one, single Santa. We are the people who fill your stocking and choose and wrap the presents under the tree-just as our parents did for us, their parents did for them, and you will do for your kids someday. This could never make any of us Santa though. Santa is lots and lots of people who keep the spirit of Christmas alive. He lives in our hearts-not at the North Pole. Santa is the magic and love and spirit of giving to others. What he does is teach children to believe in something they can't see or touch. Throughout your life you will need this capacity to believe: in yourself, in your family, in your friends, and in God. You'll need to be able to believe in things you can't measure or hold in your hands. Now you know the secret of how he gets down all of those chimneys on Christmas Eve: He has help from all of the people whose hearts he has filled with joy. Will full hearts, people like Mommy and Daddy take our turns helping Santa do a job that would otherwise be impossible. So no, we are not Santa. Santa is love and magic and hope and happiness. We are on his team, and now you are too. We love you and always will. Love, Mom and Dad
