Telling kids there is a Santa Claus

[TheSanctuarian]

I know this is off topic, but my mother brought it up the other day.

"would you tell you kids about Santa claus?"

I could only answer "yes" because that I what I think I should have put, but... I was thinking that if the world wasn't "santa mad" at christmas, I wouldn't tell my kids about Santa. I wouldn't because its a lie. simply put, I hate liars, and by teaching my kids the way of a non-existent being, I am a hypocrite.

so, do you teach your kids about Santa? and why?

 

[KnuffleBunny]

I probably would. Kids need magical things to believe in as WELL as reality. If you were to teach a child only the reality of the world, there's no room left for imagination.

 

[maiato]

Let kids be kids. They will find out sooner or later that santa claus exist...and is always there for them! And that....is you! Don't u exist? : )

 

[Rembrandt Broam]

I don't understand. What do you mean by "a lie"? What's a lie?

 

[WeirdyMcGee]

Yeah, of course!
Christmas time doesn't have to be big and all about getting presents- you can have Christmas without it being 'santa mad'.
Before I was born, my sister was an only child. There were photos of her receiving a livingroom FULL of presents all for her.
After I was born- there were less; and after my brother was born, we would each get 3 gifts.
These days, it's never anything big but Christmas is more about us eating together, talking and going tobogganing rather than buying things.
That may because we're quite poor technically, but I think I prefer things to be about family rather than material greed.

Children need fantasy and they should be encouraged to play and dream and think of silly things; so Santa, Easter bunny, Tooth fairy-- whatever else; are all things I'd tell my children.
They'll find out in their own time that it's 'fake'- but rather than a lie, I'd call it playing with them and encouraging them.

 

[upndwn]

I remember I was devastated to learn that the tooth-faerie didn't exist when I was 6 years old. A teacher told the entire class. So I say let the kids have their fantasies for as long as they want.

 

[ridicule]

Absolutely not, not in a million years. This is how religions are bred, from little fables that get out of hand. Now granted, there isn't going to be a Santa cult, but I want to teach my kid that there is reality and then there are silly things that people believe. I want to teach that skepticism early so when someone comes to them and says "I believe that God, who was really man at the time but still God, died on a cross, well God can't die but the man part of him died, to forgive me of my sins because I'm inherently sinful " I want my kid to laugh in his face, not go "Well you do bring up a good point and I respect your beliefs".

 

[BlackPuma]

I'm not sure, even though I do agree that believing in various mythical beings is truly magical when you're a kid, to what extend does breaking that dream potentially aid in harsh cynical thinking later in life? Because after all, things that seem too good to be true, usually are. Sounds familiar, right?

Sooner or later they're going to find out that it has been fake. I'd much rather try to engage my children (if I ever get any, that is) in real things that are equally as magical. The entire natural system, for example. The difference being that when they grow up, those things remain real and even magical (to an extend).

I'm gonna say; no, I don't think I would tell them about Santa. Frankly, no matter how culturally accepted I has become, I don't want one of the earliest and greatest memories of my kids (that are semi-directly associated with me) to be based on a fabrication.

Kids will look at anything with magical eyes, they don't really need Santa for that.

 

[coyote]

what do you guys mean?

Santa Claus is real

i write to him every year

 

[Arthur_Dent]

I probably would. Kids need magical things to believe in as WELL as reality. If you were to teach a child only the reality of the world, there's no room left for imagination.

I agree with let the kids be kids and have faith on imaginary things. But the Santa concept is too close to Pavlovian programation, and I wouldn't wanna train a kid based in a reward/punishment concept. The kids must learn to be good because is the right thing to do, and not to do it in exchange for a gift.

 

[MrJones]

I don't think it's a bad thing. My parents educated me to not lie (and I don't) but I don't take all these things as a lie and I understand why they did it. They are not hypocrites. They showed me all that because they had it too as kids and they know it's a beautiful thing. Some kids even wait for it all year. I used to love Christmas as a kid (until my older sister told me what was all about XD) and I want to see my kids (if some day I have) being as happy as I was for Christmas

 

[anuskas]

I don't think it's a bad thing. My parents educated me to not lie (and I don't) but I don't take all these things as a lie and I understand why they did it. They are not hypocrites. They showed me all that because they had it too as kids and they know it's a beautiful thing. Some kids even wait for it all year. I used to love Christmas as a kid (until my older sister told me what was all about XD) and I want to see my kids (if some day I have) being as happy as I was for Christmas

I strongly agree. Inteligent writing Mr Jones... As you always do!

I love Christmas and Santa Claus wherever he is! LOL

 

[this_portrait]

I don't want kids, but I don't have a problem with parents telling their children about myths like Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, Tooth Fairy, etc. I think it's all relatively harmless. It's only when you continue to try and make them believe in it once they start getting to a certain age that I think it's gone a bit too far. My sister believed in Santa Claus until she was in the 6th grade at age 11-12 (and by then everyone else in her class was obviously past all that), for example. Kids definitely picked on her for that, which is why I think our mother went a little too far with it. Of course, that's not as bad as this girl I went to school with through middle school; she believed in Santa Claus until she was about 14!

 

[TheSanctuarian]

Maybe "lie" was a harsh word, but I still think that it is wrong to deceive a child simply because the are too innocent and stupid to realise. I may be a bad father [in the future, not now!] but I doubt I would. although I think its right for a child to believe in something, I would rather they picked religion over something that is obviously [sorry guys] not real.