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I remember being told that there was no Santa Claus and it broke my nine-year-old heart. I wondered for a long time what else my parents were lying about and it damaged my trust in them. Maybe other kids are different, but I think it's a crappy, horrible thing to do to a child. I believe that adults do it because *they* want to live vicariously through their children's beliefs. How selfish.
I was pretty crushed when some trashy kid at school telling me "Santa ain't even REAL," ruined it for me, too. It didn't set me up for trust issues with my parents, though...mostly, it just made me pissed at the skanky kid, whose parent spent all her money on booze and smokes rather than presents for her kid "from Santa," for ruining something that had been fun and whimsical. Even at a young age, I could see that somebody with a sh*tty life had to get their fun out of taking the wind out of somebody else's sails, although I didn't have the words for it at the time. I totally understood that my parents wanted there to be a fun, magical element to the season...and that it was a nice thing to do. That kid who got her rocks off by raining on other kids' parades, though? She sucked, and she still sucks. She has little kids herself, now. I wonder if anybody goes around poking pins in all their childish wonderment, if they indeed are allowed to have any, which is pretty doubtful.
Oh, I forgot to mention, my dad broke the news to me that Santa wasn't real when I was, I think, four or five. He would wake me up every morning for preschool, and one morning when I was barely half awake and really groggy, he told me. Pretty clever. It didn't register until later in the day, but as long as I still got presents I didn't care where they came from. Also, that same day I told one of my friends at preschool. I remember him lying on top of a table (?) crying his eyes out. I couldn't understand why it upset him so much.
If I had kids, I wouldn't raise them to believe in Santa Claus, period.
Sure you're right. It's gotta be crazy to let children anticipate, revel in and enjoy a harmless tale that just might have some elements of truth to it - chimneys and reindeer notwithstanding. What right do they have to the joy of the season?
Don't know what age I was when I "discovered" the truth but I do know that the first time I questioned it my mother kept the myth alive by telling me that Santa was certainly real because he was the spirit of Christmas. Many years later that same line worked successively and successfully with my own children. It was joyful for them and one of the joys or parenting.
When my kids were little, I told them about Santa and his reindeer in story form. Then I added, "Let's pretend he's real!" So we did, and had a lot of fun with it. We put out milk and cookies for him, the whole bit. Half the time, I think they forgot it was all a game.
What's wrong with this approach?
I like the idea of getting ready for Santa with milk and cookies, and all the excitement but am also not crazy about deliberately misleading my kid. I want them to be able to trust what I say 100%. On the other hand, it's so cute & fun.
I have no recollection of how my Mum did it - I'll ask her. I know we did Easter egg painting and hunts, but I don't recall any mention of the Easter bunny. I also got 50p under my pillow for losing a tooth, but don't recall who it came from.
Stockings were filled Christmas morning, but by whom?
I don't think we did the milk and cookie thing. My guess is that we did all the cool stuff, but the figures weren't really brought up one way or another.
But my memories from childhood are vague, so I could be totally wrong.
Don't know what age I was when I "discovered" the truth but I do know that the first time I questioned it my mother kept the myth alive by telling me that Santa was certainly real because he was the spirit of Christmas. Many years later that same line worked successively and successfully with my own children. It was joyful for them and one of the joys or parenting.
My parents, in addition to upholding the vile Santa lie, also had the gall to read fables, myths,fairy tales, legends, and other blatant untruths to me as a kid...I really consider them to be deceitful scammers who forever damaged my ability to trust.
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