Do you tell your kids Santa is real?

[Anonymous]

[ Edited by Administrator. The original post was apparently stolen in its entirety from another parenting forum. The original author has asked that the post be removed. Please do not plagiarize. ]

[Anonymous]

I would not. BTW, last time I wrote on this topic I was called a douche and an asshole.

Anyway, I never really had to answer the question b.c last week on the way to school my 4.5 yo out of the blue (I was playing holiday pops so maybe it was not totally random) said to me "mommy, you know Santa is fake, right". I did not really argue with but tried to compare Santa to her imaginary friends - she would have none of it, she imaginary friends were "not real" but Santa is "fake".

[Anonymous]

No, we do "pretend Santa" stuff, but I never say he's real.

[Anonymous]

When they get to that age that they are starting to suspect Santa is not real, I say: I don't know if he's real or not, but I have been told that kids who believe in Santa continue to get presents from Santa. So if you ask your 19 year old cousin, for example, he'll tell you he believes, and guess what, he still gets presents. So if I were you I would keep on believing.

This protected all my younger siblings from being told the truth about Santa by the older ones.

[Anonymous]

Yup. My 3 year old is into Santa big time. We don't say he is real, but talk about him in his workshop, his reindeer, etc. he is LOVING it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:When they get to that age that they are starting to suspect Santa is not real, I say: I don't know if he's real or not, but I have been told that kids who believe in Santa continue to get presents from Santa. So if you ask your 19 year old cousin, for example, he'll tell you he believes, and guess what, he still gets presents. So if I were you I would keep on believing.

This protected all my younger siblings from being told the truth about Santa by the older ones.

[Anonymous]

OP -- you're annoying. Not because you ask stupid questions and not b/c you can't bring yourself to tell a little white lie to a kid that cannot, i assure you, comprehend "billions" of other kids in the world ... but because you posted to toot your own horn concerning your child. she may be such a good girl, but her mom is a right git. do what you want re: santa. no one cares. and no one cares, either, that your little angel is going to pretend along for the sake of all the other poor, duped children.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:[ original post removed by administrator because it was plagiarized. ]

Wait. If she doesn't believe in Santa, how do you threaten her into behaving well all year?

[Anonymous]

Of COURSE the concept of Santa is "silly". It's silly, it's imaginary, it's magic, it's impossible, it's ridiculous. Last time I checked, those were all the things that mattered to my two small children (2 & 4). In their developmental stage, the wonders of the silly, the magic, and the ridiculous are what it's all about. They are children, non mini-adults, and letting them take their imaginations on a wild ride is awesome fun. I believed in Santa with all my heart. And then I gradually found out the truth. I'm not scarred, and I treasure my memories.

[Anonymous]

I'm glad you weren't my mom.

[Anonymous]

She said she is going to pretend to believe in him to because she wants to believe, not to make you happy by not telling the other kids. She's a child! Imagination about magical stories is a part of childhood. She won't grow up to be a more honest or sensible adult because you took Santa away.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: [ original post removed by administrator because it was plagiarized. ]

SHE did not "[make] her own choice" YOU made it for her when you decided not to play along with Santa. Whatever happened to the magic of childhood and make-believe being "real" in the eyes of a child? Seriously, OP...I feel sorry for your child!

[Anonymous]

It just makes me a little sad to remember how fun it was thinking that Santa was real -- my parents would make a big production of hearing him up on our roof, for example -- and that your daughter didn't have the option of enjoying that bit of childhood whimsy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP -- you're annoying. Not because you ask stupid questions and not b/c you can't bring yourself to tell a little white lie to a kid that cannot, i assure you, comprehend "billions" of other kids in the world ... but because you posted to toot your own horn concerning your child. she may be such a good girl, but her mom is a right git. do what you want re: santa. no one cares. and no one cares, either, that your little angel is going to pretend along for the sake of all the other poor, duped children.

Nasty aren't we?

[Anonymous]

As a first time parent who fully embraces make believe and magic and embracing the line between what is real and what is in our hearts, I am most afraid of the children of the OPs out there in the world. Because their parents cannot indulge a harmless dream, some young child (read: within the realistic age range to believe in Santa) may open their mouth and blow it for my child.

There are a lot of "real" things that are hard to describe, that take a good bit of trust and imagination to get your hands around -- take the concept of "love" for instance. I'd hate to think OP is going to zip right past the glowingfeelings and heart skipping a beat and love at first sight to lay out the nuts and bolts - have your own checking account, discuss whether or not to have kids, and get a pre-nup!