"Oh, honey? Santa isn't real."

I don't know why this really came to mind, but I'm seriously wondering now. I was talking to my girlfriend about it, and we ended up wondering which was the better way to raise your child. To believe in Santa, magic, the tooth-fairy, all of that kind of stuff? Or to tell them right off the bat that it's not real?

When I thought about it, I thought about how rarely I hear of a child having a crisis when they find out that Santa isn't real. But at the same time, I guess it's possible? I'm really having a hard time deciding which is better. Part of me would like my child to believe in something. The other part thinks it'd be stupid to lie to them like that. But then I worry that they'll grow up all bitter towards other children and feel isolated.​

 

It's kinda lying, and at the same time it kinda isn't. I mean there really was a gift giver named "Saint Nicholas" on which Santa is based on, even if he isn't the one bringing you presents on Christmas Eve.

Anyways I think its good for them to believe, at least to a certain age. The whole thing to me ties in with the spirit of Christmas, and to see your kid's face on Christmas morning I can only image to be heartwarming. I think in a way Santa also teaches kids discipline, especially around the holidays. Plus in the schools (at least around here) the majority of the kids do believe in a Santa, so I wouldn't want it to be socially awkward for my kid.

But yeah I really don't see any harm in the whole thing, it's all in good fun and good spirits. Sure they might be shocked when they find out but eventually they will learn what Christmas is really about when they are older.

 

i really don't see the harm in letting kids believe in Santa Claus or the Tooth Fairy. after a while, they'll realize that they aren't real on their own, and i don't think it causes any problems. it's just one of those things where they'll just be like "oh". i mean, those fictional characters DO do a good job teaching kids morals too, like Santa Claus stories tell kids to be good, and the Tooth Fairy tells kids to take care of their teeth (actually, not sure about that one since she supposedly gives 25 cents per tooth, lol).

 

If it were me I would let my kids believe in it. They are just kids let them have an imagination. Let kids be kids. I say once they turn 8 that they should know the truth. But for being a young kid let them believe in it. There is nothing wrong with it at all like i said they are kids and to them its somthing fun to believe in.

 

They're children and love to have something to believe in. I would rather them enjoy it, plus if they didn't believe then they would probably be different to everyone else and as you said Isolated. I remember the day I discovered the tooth fairy wasn't real, I wasn't that upset about it, I just remember thinking it was a nice story. The same with Santa, but by this time I was old enough to know the truth anyway. The day will come to tell them the truth but in the meantime it's nice to let them believe. Imagine the world without Santa, that's what it would be like if you told him he wasn't real.

 

This was actually a huge discussion between my mom and my dad, and later between my step-mom and my dad when my half-sister was born. My mom agreed with the whole "let kids be kids" argument, my dad didn't want to be lying to his children bahaha kind of ironic.

But personally, I totally agree with it. I mean obviously a child gets to a certain age where it's not socially acceptable to believe in Santa, but by that point they've probably already picked it up off the streets. As everyone has said, it gives kids something to look forward to, and gives them an incentive to behave well. I do think that some people get a little out of control with the whole thing, but there's no harm in it, really.

 

I'd let them find out on their own. I mean, I personally never believed in Santa Claus. I don't know why, but I just found it pretty obvious it was my mom doing things (then again, we never made too big a deal about Christmas). But if they're still believing in Santa Claus and are old enough to drive, then we might have a talk.


The other day in my English course, we were talking about how everyone was so into Harry Potter and wishes they could go to Hogwards (everyone said they would transfer to Hogwarts from my university). They brought up a point where our school has this event every year where you can send in your deepest, darkest secret anonymously and they'll print it somewhere. Last year, one of the secrets made it on the first page of the paper and it said "When I found out Harry Potter wasn't real, it was the saddest day of my life."
Someone brought up when they realized Santa Claus wasn't real and my friend started acting like it was news to him. He's a college sophomore. At first it was funny but he kept the act up all through class. I'm not sure if he was really joking or not at this point xD

 

I think childern today are forced to grow up too fast. No wonder why things are so different in only a few years. I believe each child should be shown both sides and encouraged to believe in whatever they wish to believw. I personally have a small flicker of hope Santa does exist, since one Christmas there were gifts my parents did not know about and they said they did. Mainly that hope is dead though... But with magic and all... There's no way we can say it doesn't exist, and I really do hope it does. It's not childish of me to do so either, because everyone needs something to believe in, like a lot of people choose to believe in God. Age should have nothing to do with it either way.​

 

Let them believe that all that stuff is real. Then that way, they won't be isolated from their friends. They won't get into any debates with their friends as well... They will reach an age where they figure out that santa and all the other things aren't real. Don't tell them when they are young and starting to believe in it or else you may have a crisis on your hands... XP

And who said santa isn't real?!?! He lives in Narnia in the winter and Christmas town every other time don't you know... The north pole thing is a lie cause too many people can find his workshop there so he moved.

 

It's impossible to prove the absence of something. If you want to prove that Santa doesn't exist, you'll have to check every single place in the world. That includes in a rock, under the carpet, behind the bookshelf and in undefined location X. It's impossible. So there's no reason to tell them that Santa isn't real, or that magic doesn't exist. After all, there's no way to prove it. The only fair way is to present the evidence and let the child decide for themselves. They'll decide in the same way they decide that there's no such thing as Bugs Bunny.

On the other hand, there's no proof of his existence, so Santa has about as much credibility as the teapot orbiting Pluto. He may exist, but there's nothing to back it up. But there is evidence: the presents that appear. Provided everyone accepts ‘the presents were placed there by Santa’, then that becomes truth in itself, as truth is based on perspective. The magic of Santa isn't a lie; it's embellishment. The result is the same, but the method is different. Like the difference between pulling a sweet from your pocket and giving it to a child and making it appear behind their ear via magic. Lies aren't bad themselves. When misused, they need to be revealed, but when they're innocent, it's plain boorish to defile them.

 

P is right...

and besides, There actually used to be a santa... his name was St. Nicholas. he used to deliver food and clothes and money from house to house in a town for the poor people or something like that. I can't remember all the details

 

There is nothing wrong with giving your kids a fun thing to believe in. It's lying, but nice lying, in the vein of The Stork: the truth is just much...darker(for a child, anyway :lolface: ). I believed in Santa until I was about eight. One day I decided to just randomly ask my mom (it was like, august) whether he was real, and she said no. I agree with her decision, I was at the right age, and I asked her. Also the Ed, Edd, and Eddy Christmas in July episode came on that day and I cried :/

 

I think it's a waste of time, as well as hypocritical. Parents encourage their kids to tell the truth... just look what they're doing themselves. They're just building up kids' hopes by telling them that they need to be good all year or Santa won't visit. Miserable excuse to get kids to behave, if you ask me.

No offense meant to Saint Nicholas, though.

 

my children will be taught magic is real (it might not just be magic spells and what not) :3 but not in a creepy way. I will require them to read Harry potter, and i will read them Narnia when its bed time. I want them to have an imagination, yes they will find out Santa isn't real...but they are little kids everything in the world is magical. I feel that if you tell a kid that "this isn't real or that isn't real" you kinda kill their imagination. I want my sons to grow up having fond memories of themselves pretending they were knights in the back yard and there was an evil dragon(our dog) I want them to be able to believe anything is possible even if it might not be.

my kids are gonna be the **** >D

 

I don't see harm in telling children whimsical tales like Santa Claus and the Tooth Fairy.
They're about as close to a lie as when a parent reads a fairy tale to a child.
The child will eventually outgrow it, of course, but it's just cruel to thrust a child into the harshness of the world immediately.
Why shouldn't there be a Santa? A tooth fairy? ^^

 

Okay, I'm a little late in the game for this thread, but what the hell ...

Like Pride said, there's not really any harm in telling them that these things exist. There's something about growing up and the truth which I've found pretty common. There's a sort of ... I don't know how to describe it ... resonance that goes on when you hear something that's true. Like, for things like Santa and the Tooth Fairy etc, there some a time and an age where you hear "Santa's not real" for the first time and you instantly go: "Yeah, that's right" in your head. I heard this being discussed once for plot spoilers for books and games etc, but its true for real life too. Let kids believe in Santa, there's no harm in it, and they'll find out the truth eventually.

 

Letting kids believe that they are real is harmless, and like a lot of people have said they'll stop believing on their own, I did with both Santa and the Tooth Fairy, only because two family members slipped up while I was around. My uncle telling me to bugger off while he was dressed as Santa' and my Grandma waiting until I woke up to put money under my pillow while I go to the loo but come back just as she pulls her hand from under the pillow, both times my reaction was 'Oh their not real? Oh well'

 

Ooh a child should have their imagination (it's not like in anime where they'll use their imagination as a means to murder you while you sleep *cough*)

Of course when I was eight or nine i asked my mom where babies came from (the many stories i heard on TV was confusing me) and she said "Sex." and that was the end of confusion....

Anywho my sister told me Santa didn't exist out of spite and I pretended that the tooth fairy existed so i would still get money every time my mom pulled a tooth out (I never really believe in the tooth fairy...)

 

In their early years, (until about six) I think that it's good for a child to have something they believe in. It's true that everyone wants to believe in something and for a kid, if that's spoiled, they'll somehow feel different from the other kids around them who do believe in Santa or the Easter Bunny.

Then again, I wouldn't really know about all that - I learned Santa and all that other stuff wasn't real when I was two. DX

 

It's kinda hard for me to believe that parents let in a fat guy in a red and white jumpsuit with a huge lumpy bag into their house, because he "has something for the kids".