The old "Santa is not real and therefore we are lying to our kids" syndrome rearing its head again?
I don't think so. It depends on how the tale is spun for kids, but I loved Santa as a child and I figured out myself that he was not real. And, actually, I am not sure that he is not real. You see, I do believe everything that is in our imaginations stems from concepts that we can actually manifest. So if we want a Santa figure, we can manifest Santa. Santa is definitely an archetypal figure that is seen in the hearts of many men and women. He may not have a sleigh with a one-night ride on reindeer, but he has reached so many hearts that Christmas Eve and Day are magical and influence happiness and love around the world. That is more astounding than toys down a chimney even. Santa for president.
No. Nor are the Easter Bunny and tooth fairy. These are positive experiences and kids can't have enough of them. David Elkind said in a lecture that the best way to prepare kids for dealing with the problems that come in life is a childhood filled with positive experiences....................NOT kids need to have to deal with negative experiences in order to deal with the negativity they will encounter in life. Elkind was always my favorite reading source as a mom of young children. My kids are grown now and he has done many many things since he wrote the wonderful, still considered wonderful, book The Hurried Child. You might like it. I don't know how old your kids are. I was lucky enough to hear him speak twice when I was a mother of young children.
I got carried away. I do that sometimes. :)
This post was edited by Thriftymaid at December 20, 2016 8:53 AM MST
Absolutely not! I had a family member who believed it was and ruined it for me, and I'm sure that having no memory of believing in Santa has somehow scarred me for life! ; )
I never thought of it as lying. My first thought was of how horrible that mom had to buy all of the stuff I ever got for Christmas. She told me, and I told my children, that being Santa to your children is one of the most joyous things moms get to do. And that is the truth (for me).
I really don't know on one hand a child from a poor family can be really good all year and get next to nothing for Christmas but a child from a well off family gets a ton of stuff even tho they have been horrible all year - then if those 2 kids meet at school and discuss what they got it's probably pretty confusing. On the other hand believes are the glue that hold us together so maybe the Santa concept is good. Cheers and Merry Christmas!
SavvyAnsley 