Santa Claus

If I have kids, I will tell them the truth about Santa. It is lying, no matter how anyone wants to sugarcoat it. Plus it teaches them bad principles. I'd rather teach them about kindness and giving through example. If you teach them through a lie, what happens when they learn the truth?; should they discard the lessons with the fable?

Hi Cyrus, I do think we get the giving spirit at this time of the year and I did tell my kids that that was what "Santa" was all about....the Spirit. I told them at a very young age that the Santa they hear about is not real. It may have been fun when I was a kid but it was not so fun for them. I was single and could not provide to them the kind of Christmas that some of their friends had. That whole "naughty or nice" theory had them thinking they were not as good as they thought they were and especially when they knew kids that did not so nice things all year that got way more. So yes, I did change up the Santa story for them.

No I think kids need to imagine things and let them beleive as long as they want too. I didnt let my mom know I knew for a long time lololol SHe was getting to think I was dence lolol I thought it was fun to beleive and I relly didnt want my brother not to beleive hes 5 years youngr than me. My grand daughter want to stayup to see him so she can give him a hugs told her Santa only gets hugs from Mrs Santa she had tears in her eyes thinking she cant hugs him. ANd I just hat seeing parents with their kids shopping for santa Just whats the surprize for them when they see what is being bought!

I totally agree with you. It is nothing wrong to tell our children about Santa Claus. The imagination is so important. We shall wish something beautiful and it will bright our life. I don't regard it as a lie. Actually lately I bought a very nice Christmas gift for my son. And I will place it to my son's bedroom in the Christmas Eve after he goes to bed. And next morning when he wakes up, he can see Santa Clause gives him a gift. I am sure he will be so excited to it and he will be very happy. Whenever I think of it, I am happy, too. I love China

It is not a lie if you believe it. It should be up to the parents to decide, but they need to understand that if they don't tell their children about the things that children tend to talk about when they are together, someone else will. I think those who are too literal minded to share the holiday spirit are cruel, though. Once I did meet a mother who did not allow her child to accept any Christmas presents at all from anyone. I think that was going overboard...and cruel.

Yeah I agree. Parents just giving their children misconceptions about christmas. They wait much for santa claus and not for the main reason of christmas.

I did not make a big deal of it either way. My kids knew he was not real, but we did some pretending anyway. There are other things that we pretend, but know they are not real. Kids do have to learn the difference between real and pretend.

Are parents lying to kids when we act like we're talking to someone on a toy phone? Or when we act say the kool aid in the tea set is really tea? In other words, any time we are encouraging kid to use their imagination. I think adults think too much like adults sometimes. ;~D

Good morning Kathy. i have thought about this often as i have gotten older.It is a lie u teach your kids & i did to but guess maybe the good out weighs the bad when doing this. Hope u have a great day.

I was going to ask pretty much the same question but found yours first, lol. I agree with you, it's a part of being a kid - and so is finding out that Santa isn't real. And I think that's an important part of growing up, you realize everything isn't necessarily as it seems or as you're lead to believe. My nephew is a little over 2 years old and is just starting to 'get' Santa - and my brother in law says that next year he's going to tell him that Santa isn't real because 'that's not what Christmas is about'. I think it's terrible that he's going to wait until he's just grasped the concept and then tear is away from him. I get the religion thing but as far as I'm concerned Santa IS a large part of what Christmas is about for little ones whether they're brought up in a religious house or not. I've also heard a lot of parents say that they don't agree with 'lying' to their children so they tell them from the beginning that there is no Santa. I don't feel that it's lying at all and I don't think it's fair to the kids to tell them that either. My mom always said to us that Santa was 'magic' and that isn't a lie - it's the kind of magic that parents create for their children. It's not Harry Potter style but it's magic all the same. And I can't help but think the kids of all these 'enlightened' parents are going to be the little brats in school ruining Santa for all the kids that do believe. Which is REALLY unfair, IMO. Kids grow up fast enough, I say let them believe in Santa, the Easter bunny & the tooth fairy - leave that little bit of magic in their childhoods.

Well, I think that as kids it's nice to have some magic in our lives, and I loved the idea of some magical man giving presents to all the kids of the world in the same night. It was always so exciting going to bed, and I almost couldn't sleep with the excitement. It's true that it's a lie, but I don't think it's a bad one. All kids like to dream and to live part in the real world part in a fantasy world, so why not to help them to build that fantasy world too when they're still kids?

The way I saw it is that I always told my kids that when the gift of Christmas ended in their hearts then it was over. It was not a way of lying they were well informed of the gift of Christ, so it was simply a treat for them to receive gifts.

for me at their young age it is good for them to believed that there is a santa clause so that they will feel the spirit of gift giving. like Us now we have just experienced and found out that it is not true but in spirit. at that time, we have feel the spirit of christmas and practiced on how to make a gift giving. for me this is a good benefit on my attitude and to myself. I am proud to say that I am like santa claus who gives and help other people for their needs. I am just a common person but if I have something to give or so share for help, I have a wide arms to give it.

my mother always makes me believe that santa is true,, but when i was a child a seem to have an understanding about the real world,instead i made my mama believe that i believe santa.. ;P at christmas she would tell me to hang socks so that santa will put money to it,, i did what she told me,but i know she's the one putting the money,, but i really enjoyed it,making money while sleeping,, lol,, well, i thank mom for that, i had enjoyed my christmas as a kid,,

I don't have a problem with it either way. My parents didn't tell us Santa Claus was real. It wouldn't have worked though, even if they had! When my older sister was two, she sneaked out of bed one night and saw my parents putting presents under the tree. So even if they had told her Santa Claus was real, she would have known it wasn't true. My parents were also very strict on telling us NOT to ruin the Santa thing for other kids. We were told in no uncertain terms not to "out" Santa for anyone else.

It really depends on the relationship between the child and the parents. A lie is a lie, and some kids grow up to learn about the lie and it's totally OK. Other kids though get disappointed when they learn the truth, and this disappointment can turn to resentment and as they grow older it might well be that these people are the people that hate Xmas. _Derek

I think it's fine...It's part of a childhood fantasy. But there really is some truth to the legend of Santa Claus, in our very own Saint Nicholas. My parents never told us the story of Santa Claus, and they never told us that he didn't exist either. Mom would always sign our gifts....from Mom and Dad. Once in awhile, she woud throw a "from Santa" in there, but mostly she signed them "Mom and Dad." I read to my children the story of Saint Nicholas, and how the legend of Santa Claus came to be, and this helped them to understand "Christmas" just a little more...It's all about caring and sharing and if they can hold onto to that for their rest of their lives...I will be a very happy Mom.

All children need something to believe in. i don't see anything wrong with allowing children to believe in Santa Claus. it is a magical time for children.

I think santa claus is not a nobody and not a man. he is only in the imagination of each person during the Christmas season is coming. because santa claus does not exist in the world of reality. and if there is anything in our world it is only human in disguise.

I think it's quite O.K. for parents to tell their children about Christmas, they should enjoy it while they still can, plus it really gets the Christmas atmosphere rise. I enjoyed believing in Santa when i was still a kid and I'm really glad that my parents gave me the opportunity to believe in something that made me very happy while i was small :).