Comments on: Santa: Myth or Real? http://winecountrymom.blogs.santarosamom.com/10401/santa-myth-or-real/ Doing the single parent thing since 2004. This is the story of us. Sat, 20 Mar 2010 21:21:32 -0400 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 By: WineCountry.Mom http://winecountrymom.blogs.santarosamom.com/10401/santa-myth-or-real/comment-page-1/#comment-889 WineCountry.Mom Thu, 24 Dec 2009 01:33:48 +0000 http://winecountrymom.blogs.santarosamom.com/?p=10401#comment-889 Mom... Mom…

]]> By: WC Mom'sMom http://winecountrymom.blogs.santarosamom.com/10401/santa-myth-or-real/comment-page-1/#comment-888 WC Mom'sMom Thu, 24 Dec 2009 01:11:40 +0000 http://winecountrymom.blogs.santarosamom.com/?p=10401#comment-888 I recently surveyed 67% of my offspring, and they have assured me that they were not scarred for life by believing in Santa Claus. The fact that I "lied" to them about a fat bearded man dressed in a red coat coming down the chimney and leaving them presents has left no negative imprint upon their psyches. Ditto about the Easter Bunny. 33% of my offspring admitted that that they were a little upset to discover that the Tooth Fairy wasn't real, but again no suicidal tendancies or anger at the perpetrator of all this make believe. Really, childhood is a magical time anyway, what's the harm in adding to the magic? I recently surveyed 67% of my offspring, and they have assured me that they were not scarred for life by believing in Santa Claus. The fact that I “lied” to them about a fat bearded man dressed in a red coat coming down the chimney and leaving them presents has left no negative imprint upon their psyches. Ditto about the Easter Bunny. 33% of my offspring admitted that that they were a little upset to discover that the Tooth Fairy wasn’t real, but again no suicidal tendancies or anger at the perpetrator of all this make believe.
Really, childhood is a magical time anyway, what’s the harm in adding to the magic?

]]> By: Erica http://winecountrymom.blogs.santarosamom.com/10401/santa-myth-or-real/comment-page-1/#comment-871 Erica Tue, 22 Dec 2009 20:40:35 +0000 http://winecountrymom.blogs.santarosamom.com/?p=10401#comment-871 I, too, have struggled with the moral dilemma of "lying" to my children in any regards. My solution? When my five-year-old asked me if Santa was "really real, or just pretend real," and I had to pause (because this was the first time he'd even thought to question it), before I said, "Well...do you believe in magic?" To which he said, "Yes!" (He's an avid Harry Potter fan.) And I said, "Santa is like magic, right?" And that did the trick. I will not come right out and say that Santa is real, but if my children can remain enthralled with the idea of magical, mystical beings for as long as possible, I'll do my best not to spoil it with my pragmatic nature. I, too, have struggled with the moral dilemma of “lying” to my children in any regards. My solution? When my five-year-old asked me if Santa was “really real, or just pretend real,” and I had to pause (because this was the first time he’d even thought to question it), before I said, “Well…do you believe in magic?” To which he said, “Yes!” (He’s an avid Harry Potter fan.) And I said, “Santa is like magic, right?” And that did the trick. I will not come right out and say that Santa is real, but if my children can remain enthralled with the idea of magical, mystical beings for as long as possible, I’ll do my best not to spoil it with my pragmatic nature.

]]> By: Parents and Lying | Wine Country Mom http://winecountrymom.blogs.santarosamom.com/10401/santa-myth-or-real/comment-page-1/#comment-585 Parents and Lying | Wine Country Mom Wed, 21 Oct 2009 18:35:50 +0000 http://winecountrymom.blogs.santarosamom.com/?p=10401#comment-585 [...] other and being rotten to our mother. At her wit’s end, the only option my mother had was to call Santa Claus and let him know how awful we were being, and that it would be best if he just passed by our house [...] [...] other and being rotten to our mother. At her wit’s end, the only option my mother had was to call Santa Claus and let him know how awful we were being, and that it would be best if he just passed by our house [...]

]]> By: Str4y http://winecountrymom.blogs.santarosamom.com/10401/santa-myth-or-real/comment-page-1/#comment-244 Str4y Fri, 21 Aug 2009 16:36:03 +0000 http://winecountrymom.blogs.santarosamom.com/?p=10401#comment-244 That's a load of hooey. Santa et. al are real and you won't convince me otherwise. However...if I were to POSTULATE that in some alternate reality what you were saying might be true... Well, first of all, belief in mythical beings didn't originate to delight children and playfully tease them into being good, of course...just a glance into a traditional book of fairy tales casts the origins of such stories in a much more sinister light than the glittering flashbulbs they get today...but even the darkest of mythical creatures are generally cleaned up to keep from scarring the psyches of today's children (sorry...am I ranting? I apologize...personal vendetta.) Anyway, my point is that a lot of the cute, silly traditions that we laugh at today were not formulated as a way to sweetly convince children to be good, but originally had a somewhat darker meaning. As for the 'tricking' of children into believing in magic (of whatever form)...I think it's different for every child...some are more pragmatic and have their feet firmly planted on the ground...and they like it that way. But for others...I was always a very imaginitive child...heck, I STILL am...and even without help I am sure I would have dreamed up fanciful worlds. The fact that my mom supplied everything from fairy stories to superstitions (and not just pastel-hued, sparkly stuff, either) is something I see as a positive. I feel a childhood without magic would have been a less enjoyable one. And I feel the same way about my adult life, at that. Okay, I'm not bound for Arkham...I GET that parents put presents under the tree, and now that I'm a grown up, if I buy presents for my friends and family...but there is a stubborn part of me that wonders if, as my mom suggested, regardless of my hand packing and wrapping the boxes are magically empty and will remain so until Christmas morning. The Easter Bunny and I were never really on terms, but the tooth fairy would leave me the shiniest penny she could find and a keepsake for every missing tooth...and so what if some of the treasures she left me were things like...a beaded necklace I had seen my mom making the previous week? Obviously, the two of them talked, and a necklace my mom made me was something precious and wonderful...the tooth fairy delivered me the PERFECT gift. As an adult, I believe in science and physics and chemistry...but I don't see them as anything that necessarily excludes the POSSIBILITY of magic. I keep waiting for the goblins to take me away and I am 90% certain that I have a house imp or two that hide my shoes/phone/tv remote/this one bottle of spices that I haven't seen since I opened it. For me, the possibility of magic is important...it's part of who I am--and not because my mom forced belief in Santa on me, because I DO believe in fairies and always will. So, yes...if you have a child who has Vulcan blood and wants to see only the logical and serious side of life, then insisting in Santa's existence is probably the wrong way to go...but if you have a child who revels in magic and is waiting for their Hogwarts letter to arrive, why should you take away that joy? Plus, the way I hear it, when a kid stops believing in Santa, the big guy won't deliver presents any more and then their parents have to buy gifts for them so stuff's still under the tree come Christmas morning. That’s a load of hooey. Santa et. al are real and you won’t convince me otherwise.

However…if I were to POSTULATE that in some alternate reality what you were saying might be true…
Well, first of all, belief in mythical beings didn’t originate to delight children and playfully tease them into being good, of course…just a glance into a traditional book of fairy tales casts the origins of such stories in a much more sinister light than the glittering flashbulbs they get today…but even the darkest of mythical creatures are generally cleaned up to keep from scarring the psyches of today’s children (sorry…am I ranting? I apologize…personal vendetta.) Anyway, my point is that a lot of the cute, silly traditions that we laugh at today were not formulated as a way to sweetly convince children to be good, but originally had a somewhat darker meaning.

As for the ‘tricking’ of children into believing in magic (of whatever form)…I think it’s different for every child…some are more pragmatic and have their feet firmly planted on the ground…and they like it that way. But for others…I was always a very imaginitive child…heck, I STILL am…and even without help I am sure I would have dreamed up fanciful worlds. The fact that my mom supplied everything from fairy stories to superstitions (and not just pastel-hued, sparkly stuff, either) is something I see as a positive. I feel a childhood without magic would have been a less enjoyable one. And I feel the same way about my adult life, at that.

Okay, I’m not bound for Arkham…I GET that parents put presents under the tree, and now that I’m a grown up, if I buy presents for my friends and family…but there is a stubborn part of me that wonders if, as my mom suggested, regardless of my hand packing and wrapping the boxes are magically empty and will remain so until Christmas morning. The Easter Bunny and I were never really on terms, but the tooth fairy would leave me the shiniest penny she could find and a keepsake for every missing tooth…and so what if some of the treasures she left me were things like…a beaded necklace I had seen my mom making the previous week? Obviously, the two of them talked, and a necklace my mom made me was something precious and wonderful…the tooth fairy delivered me the PERFECT gift.

As an adult, I believe in science and physics and chemistry…but I don’t see them as anything that necessarily excludes the POSSIBILITY of magic. I keep waiting for the goblins to take me away and I am 90% certain that I have a house imp or two that hide my shoes/phone/tv remote/this one bottle of spices that I haven’t seen since I opened it. For me, the possibility of magic is important…it’s part of who I am–and not because my mom forced belief in Santa on me, because I DO believe in fairies and always will.

So, yes…if you have a child who has Vulcan blood and wants to see only the logical and serious side of life, then insisting in Santa’s existence is probably the wrong way to go…but if you have a child who revels in magic and is waiting for their Hogwarts letter to arrive, why should you take away that joy? Plus, the way I hear it, when a kid stops believing in Santa, the big guy won’t deliver presents any more and then their parents have to buy gifts for them so stuff’s still under the tree come Christmas morning.

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