Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am really sad for her. I think she was too young to understand why we all lie to kids.

Some of us dont lie.

I never knowingly lie to my kids. I sometimes present a sugar coated version of the truth. For the Santa thing I just put the question back to them.

I wonder what PP lies to her kids about?

Seriously? What do we lie about? I mean there's a dozen santa lies. Pretty much anything related to santa is a lie. My toddlers thoroughly enjoy it and watching them is magical to me too.

Santa brings presents
Santa flies in his sleigh
Santa watches you to see if you're naughty or nice

Anonymous wrote:Was anyone on here scarred by their parents letting them believe in Santa? Do you feel a deep mistrust for your parents and have trouble in relationships because of this? I just wonder why you didn’t play along for a short while if you care that they are sad about it. They’ll get over it, but let this be a warning to the rest of you determined “not to lie” to little Timmy.

I actually had a really hard time with it as a kid. I felt betrayed by my parents when I found out they’d been lying to me and became hyper focused on the truth and lies after that. In the conversation about Santa I realized the same was true for the Easter bunny and tooth fairy. I constantly asked my mom if she was lying to me.

We joke around about it now, but it was a really big deal.

I’m still very focused on honesty in relationships. I don’t like lying.

Anonymous wrote:What the hell is wrong with children believing in Santa? The "I won't lie to my kids" excuse is bizarre. I believe parents who say that just don't want to be in the effort.

This. And when kids finally learn the truth, they find out in bits & pieces, over the course of a few years. They hear something on the playground. There’s a reference to Santa being fake in a movie or song. They catch their parents eating cookies on Xmas eve. They find a gift in the closet. They put two & two together. It’s all rather normal, and being disappointed is part of life so it’s not like parents are traumatizing their kids by pretending Santa is real! Lol!

bitch, Santa is real
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+1!!!

I have a deep fear of a nighttime home invasion because of Santa. JK.

Was anyone on here scarred by their parents letting them believe in Santa? Do you feel a deep mistrust for your parents and have trouble in relationships because of this? I just wonder why you didn’t play along for a short while if you care that they are sad about it. They’ll get over it, but let this be a warning to the rest of you determined “not to lie” to little Timmy.

Anonymous wrote:What the hell is wrong with children believing in Santa? The "I won't lie to my kids" excuse is bizarre. I believe parents who say that just don't want to be in the effort.

Right. I dont lie about other stuff. But my 8yo still believes in Santa and that is great.

What the hell is wrong with children believing in Santa? The "I won't lie to my kids" excuse is bizarre. I believe parents who say that just don't want to be in the effort.

Every year, same thread.

There is plenty of magic and childhood innocence with a Santa that is imaginary, no need to create a narrative that inevitably ends with dropping your kid off of a truth cliff.

We have always give presents from Santa, take pictures with Santa, leave candy for Santa, promote the imaginary spirit of Santa, etc. - but the kids have always known that it's an imaginary thing that is FUN but not REAL.

There is still magic and fun in a make-believe Santa.

Listening to parents who INSTANTLY tell their kids for YEARS that Santa is real, and then complain about breaking their kids' hearts with the truth.... No sympathy for you.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't understand why you took the magic away from a 4yo. It brings them such joy. You have made your bed though, so now you lay in it.

That's real helpful, PP. You must be such a joy.

Well, what do you want her to do? Give empty reassurances?

When a 5 yo asks if Santa is real, you lie. Or you deflect. “What do you think? Do you believe that Santa is real?”

It’s the 9 yo you level with, not the 5 yo.

When you have absolutely nothing helpful to contribute, there's this option of not answering.
Anyway, reassuring OP that her kid will be fine is not an empty reassurance because IT IS TRUE. Castigating someone for something that is already done is just mean. Perhaps you guys need to reflect on the meaning of Christmas.

Ohhhhh, bunmmer! Poor kiddo. Yes, you made a major error. You can’t undo it, but you can still have a festive holiday. It just won’t have that magical Santa quality.

One sure thing, OP will be banned from talking Santa with her grandkid(s).

Yes, it's mean, but like you said what's done is done.

Poor kid. She's going to remember it the rest of her life.

I fell for this back at Easter. She swore she wanted the truth about the Easter bunny. I told her, and she was NOT happy. If she asks about Christmas, I’m going with the old “What do YOU think?” strategy. She knows the mall Santa isn’t real, so she’s almost there.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am really sad for her. I think she was too young to understand why we all lie to kids.

Some of us dont lie.

I never knowingly lie to my kids. I sometimes present a sugar coated version of the truth. For the Santa thing I just put the question back to them.

I wonder what PP lies to her kids about?

Not a big deal, OP. Your child is reacting normally, and she's still happy about Christmas. My kids knew Father Christmas wasn't real around that time, too. We didn't lie to them when they asked.

Funny thing, though: the magic is still alive. I always "pretend" that Father Christmas is real, and that he gives the presents. We joke about the North Pole, reindeers and sleighs. The kids, now teens and tweens, love that I pretend, even though they are in on the joke. That's the real magic of Christmas: suspension of disbelief for a little while.