Should Kids Be Taught To Believe In Santa Claus?

[Etagloc]

Do you think kids should be taught to believe in Santa?

 

[mecca]

Parent's choice. But if I was a parent I would not...
If I was a child I wouldn't want to be lied to.

My family doesn't celebrate Christmas so when I was young I always knew Santa was not real and I told some people at my elementary school but they didn't believe me lol.

 

[Etagloc]

Parent's choice. But if I was a parent I would not...
If I was a child I wouldn't want to be lied to.

My family doesn't celebrate Christmas so when I was young I always knew Santa was not real and I told some people at my elementary school but they didn't believe me lol.

Yeah I dont think you should lie to kids.... if you lie about Santa, they might question whatever else you tell them

 

[UnspokenSoliloquy]

Nope. I never believed. I thought it through. I didn’t have a chimney, so I knew he couldn’t get in the house and I figured it was impossible to visit all those kids in one night. It didn’t make sense. I would like parents to stop lying to their kids. I learned the same with the tooth fairy. I believed it once because I found money under my pillow and the next time I didn’t tell my mom about the tooth and the tooth was still there. That sucked. It’s just better for them to know the truth.

 

[Leviathan]

It's sort of fun to pretend. I wish I could still believe in such things. I caught on that he wasn't real when I saw presents marked "from Santa" in my parents' bedroom weeks before Christmas. I asked them about it and they told me "Santa's helpers delivered these ones a little bit early." Then I noticed "Santa's" handwriting looked exactly the same as my mother's. But I pretended to believe for a couple more years anyways just to make them happy.

Anyways, I don't see any harm in it. Kids believe in all kinds of fantastic things. I think it could be good for adults to play along and indulge the fantasies. It is good bonding time and will create memories for years to come.

 

[Etagloc]

It's sort of fun to pretend. I wish I could still believe in such things. I caught on that he wasn't real when I saw presents marked "from Santa" in my parents' bedroom weeks before Christmas. I asked them about it and they told me "Santa's helpers delivered these ones a little bit early." Then I noticed "Santa's" handwriting looked exactly the same as my mother's. But I pretended to believe for a couple more years anyways just to make them happy.

Anyways, I don't see any harm in it. Kids believe in all kinds of fantastic things. I think it could be good for adults to play along and indulge the fantasies. It is good bonding time and will create memories for years to come.

I can see your side as well... there is lack of the fantastic in this modern world

 

[Corvus Metus]

As a kid, I quickly questioned the whole Santa Claus thing. I probably didn't believe, even when I believed...

But it made Christmas a lot more fun, even magical. When I believed, or at least, tried to convince myself I believe the world was a much more wonderful place... But once I found out, a lot of that died. Christmas became a disgusting, corporate holiday. So I think the lie of Santa in someways is good for kids.

 

[TMT]

No, but I'm more opposed to teaching a child a religion, if that's something they want let them come to it on their own.

 

[The Zone]

No, but I'm more opposed to teaching a child a religion, if that's something they want let them come to it on their own.

I bet holidays spent with you are pretty darn joyless.

 

[TMT]

I bet holidays spent with you are pretty darn joyless.

What would you know? I prefer holidays based around nature/astronomy there is no brainwashing in celebrating them with children. Anyway "existence is pure joy" and I know it.

 

[Infinite Truth]

I am against it, too many kids take their parents for grantedand don't appreciate it, a lot of working class parents spend their whole year paying off the debt they have got themselves in to make sure their kids get as much as all others, then all the credit for the fruits of their labour year round is given to Santa, the Tooth Fairy, the Easter bunny etc. I think kids should know what they get from their parents and how hard they work to give them it, I don't totally disagree tho they could still give them one gift from santa so as not to spoil the magic of Christmas but I think maybe children would have a little more respect and consideration for all their parents do.

 

[mecca]

When I believed, or at least, tried to convince myself I believe the world was a much more wonderful place... But once I found out, a lot of that died. Christmas became a disgusting, corporate holiday. So I think the lie of Santa in someways is good for kids.

But children can find joy in other things, real things that aren't lies. They won't have to go through the disappointment of realizing that it's all a lie and they would have never had to buy in to the whole corporate holiday in the first place. I just think it's not worth it to pretend that Santa's real.

 

[umphreak]

I agree with mecca. I've always been uncomfortable with the idea of Santa Claus. Almost 10 years ago I spent Christmas in Argentina with a devoutly Christian family with young children, and it made a really big impression on me. They said they don't do Santa because they don't want to lie to their kids. For them it was strictly to celebrate the birth of Jesus.

But the really cool thing was to see how thankful and excited the kids were for the simple gifts they received. Each child only got one gift. And they were absolutely elated! It was beautiful and a joy to watch.

 

[umphreak]

BTW, mecca is also right that children find joy in all kinds of things. Today my son had an absolute blast playing with a paper towel! He was pretending it was a Pteranodon and making it fly through the air. It always amazes me how the most elaborate toys are no match for the simplest things when it comes to keeping kids entertained.

 

[mecca]

Today my son had an absolute blast playing with a paper towel!

lol

 

[Haich]

From what I understand Christmas isn't even a Christian holiday, so the hype around it seems like another attempt to sell us medial goods at extortionate prices. Kids usually ask or demand for what they want for Christmas too, so it's not a holiday based on gratitude anymore. I feel it has lost its worth.

Santa, the tooth fairy all these bogus guys, I personally don't see the benefit of lying to your kids about them. When they're older and they figure out the truth or you tell them the truth, they're probably going to be quite devastated.

 

[Canuckster]

This whole Santa christmas buying presents thing is utterly bizarre when you think about it. I bought into it years past because we think it makes our kids happy but it doesn't, by and large they are turned into spoiled little shits.

 

[Aero]

What magic of Christmas is there? A kids imagination? If that's all it is, might as well make Santa into a flying dragon.

I think the whole thing is stupid. By lying you are treating your kid like shit, like they are subhuman. It fits into some of the trends I've talked about before. How as a society we try to protect each other from our own unhealthy minds. Instead of teaching each other to be healthy.

I also feel the same way about parents who take pictures of their kids and upload them all over the internet. Their child is just a prop in that setting, and the kids don't have a choice.

 

[The Zone]

The more I think about this, the more I think we could do without Santa Claus. He is after all not a part of the Christian religion. My memories do include thinking he was real for a very short time and maybe even wanting to believe he was real. But the big plus of Christmas is to be around family and you remember those times even if some die. Christmas has become too commercialized and can be stressful. While there is a lot of good will being done, there is also manipulation into buying a lot which lines the pockets of whom else? The elite. Pain can also happen in the form of poverty. How do less privileged children feel when they see some kids get a sea of gifts while the bottom of their tree may be empty? How painful is it to a parent that may have lost their job to not be able to give their children what they want. They will bottle up that feeling as will their kids and have to deal with the emotion of it. So, in this case we should buck some traditions ... I think we should rethink how the holiday is celebrated within the many factions that make up the scene. We should realize that this holiday was to celebrate the birth of Christ for Christians but that it got turned on its head by those who put people in debt for the rest of the year which in turn creates slavery of the masses. Besides, I have always felt bad for those less fortunate at Christmas which think Santa has some sick reason not to bless them as they have the kid down the street. If you switch the "n" and "t" in Santa, what do you get? How'd this guy crash the party

 

[Haich]

I also feel the same way about parents who take pictures of their kids and upload them all over the internet. Their child is just a prop in that setting, and the kids don't have a choice.

Good point, i get that parents are proud and want to show off their kids on social media platforms but it's just dangerous, you don't know someone could be stalking you or saving those pics and using them for all sorts of evil

Social media has encouraged narcissism and we just live to document every single thing of our once, intimate lives.