Santa Claus, Easter Bunny, and Tooth Fairy

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I've always found the concept of taking advantage of small children's naïveté in this way to be abhorrent. I mean, what's the point? You're preying on those who haven't been exposed to as much knowledge as you in order to put some "magic" in their lives, which I think is ridiculous. I would have been just as happy and excited if I knew my parents were going to put presents under the tree as I was when they mentioned Santa Claus, and when I was old enough to realize these characters weren't real, I was pretty pissed that my parents had created all of this only for me to figure out that it was all fictitious and have it cruelly taken away. On the very unlikely chance that I ever have children, I'm telling them straight-up that those characters do not exist.

You mean...they don't exist?

Also, children should not receive religious indoctrination.

I believed Santa was real, right up until I was 9. I remember the Christmas when I was 8 I wrote a card out for Santa to read, but the rest of my family said nothing, and I wondered why they seemed so not bothered by it. Then the following summer, after I had already turned 9, my cousin (who was 1 year older than me) blurted out that Santa isn't real and that our parents and other relatives bring us our presents.

Instead of getting upset and angry that my parents lied to me, I just realised that it all made sense. My parents just wanted Christmas to be magical for me and my brother as young children, and it tricked is into behaving, and I just happily celebrated Christmas that year still excited to open all my presents. Never done me any harm.

I remember a few years ago when a distant relative of mine gave away some of her 4-year-old son's old baby toys, and he was in such a panic and wouldn't stop crying. So my other relative said to him, ''your mummy is giving your old toys to younger children, but now that you're a big boy Santa is going to bring you lots of new toys for Christmas.'' The little boy stared up at us, and his eyes lit up. That moment was so beautiful. Yes, Santa delivering him his new toys was a lie, but not a harmful lie. It made him stop crying, and his innocence was just so cute. And he did get lots of lovely new things that Christmas, and he was a very happy little boy. He's a bit older now (must be about 9 now) and probably doesn't believe in Santa any more, but it never destroyed him though.

Trust me, It's not as easy as that... that was my plan, by the age they understand they are pickup stuff up everywhere, family, friends, TV, they will ask you constantly about these characters and possibly even tell you your wrong if what they see differs from what you tell them. If they do believe you that these characters are not real, they will then begin telling other children and you will be frowned upon for spoiling their kids "childhood".

Instead, when my son asks me about these things, I ask him what he thinks, and then give him the courage to believe in what he thinks.

See, this is what I mean. It's this type of thinking that makes me angry. I don't want people taking advantage of children's gullibility because they find them "cute" that way.



This has crossed my mind before. If the kid didn't believe me, I would prove it to them if that was what they wanted. I might let them see me put their presents under the tree, for example. And as for the other adults, I don't really care. I would be doing what I thought was right and not conform to such a ridiculous expectation of untruths. If they get mad at me for that, so be it.

Again, there is more to it than that, some of these adults may be your childs friends parents, do you risk them telling there kids not to hang around your kid? trust me, some parents are that silly. It doesn't matter how right you are and as a parent you need to let go of being right all the time. The way I see it, the adult word is full of lies and ridiculous expectation of untruths, let them figure it out for themselves, let them ask questions, ask them what they think, teach them to question everything and make up there own mind and not be sheep. You don't need to confirm the untruth's, point them in the right direction and let them figure it out on there own.

I hugged my Santa Claus doll long after I stopped believing in Santa.

I don't think I believed in any of that stuff, really, after the age of six--though, in the back of my mind, I always thought "you never know."

I knew where the nickels, dimes and (one time) quarter came from after I lost my teeth. I lost my last tooth at age 12--hell no for the Tooth Fairy! My mother just told me to throw away the tooth.

I got a three-speed bike when I was nine. My parents said that "Santa" gave it to me. I just said "okay" and let them believe that I still believed in Santa.

I loved that bike! It got stolen two years later when I went to McDonald's and locked up the bike. I was devastated.

I figured out for myself that Santa wasn't real when I was 4 and a half. Because I knew the world was too big for him to bring toys to all he kids in the world in one night.
I knew it after taking a long train ride and looking out the window the whole time and seeing how big the world was.
I told my father and then my father told my brother.
My brother came to me all excited and said daddy told him there was no Santa.
I said I know, I told daddy.

You were one smart kitty cat!

I wasn't even able to speak when I was 4 1/2 LOL

I figured it out when I was about eight or nine, but my mom kept trying to get me to believe for the next three years or so. It grew tiresome.

I have a lot of fun childhood memories of believing in those three icons. I don't feel that there's any harm in it. Childhood is supposed to be a magical time, not a logical time. There's lots of time for logic as an adult.

And, that does take away a lot of wonder and emotional growth for children when people do that.

It would be your choice. But, if you think that causes harm, then you would be wrong. You may have gotten pissed, but did it ever occur to you that you felt that way because of your issues and it's not really applicable to the population at large?



That's not taking advantage of a child's gullibility. Taking advantage of a child's gullibility is telling them fanciful and then actually doing something harmful. Using parables and fictitious character's to illustrate generosity and kindness is, well, by definition, the opposite.

If all you took from it was "Taking advantage of a child's gullibility" Then, I really think it must have been done very wrong, or you are looking at it from a very colored perspective.



That's a broad definition. Care to actually nail that down?

The fact that religion is to blame for a lot of things, does not eliminate the good it has also done. In fact, through my own studies, it would seem the new wave of atheism is actually becoming it's own form of faith. They are just as determined that something doesn't exist as those who are religious believe in some form of higher deity. And, they are becoming just as dogmatic.

And, both are extremist views.

I understand your point. In my case, similar to kraftiekortie, I always knew that it wasn't real, but had that "what if" sitting in the back of my mind. I recall asking my parents if Santa was real of not, and they kept avoiding the question and I got very frustrated about that. In my opinion, if your kid asks you if Santa is real or not, tell them truthfully, but unless they ask, let them believe the fantasy. So in other words, don't go out of your way to keep that fantasy alive, just play along while it makes them happy.

Personally, as a child, I didn't like being tricked or lied to (even white lies), as the example above of me getting frustrated about not having a direct answer shows. I also recall going to some carnival type thing at about the age of 5- my parents told me "The Simpsons would be there". I was extremely excited because I'd thought they were fictional before that moment, and sat peacefully for the full 2 hour drive up there. Then when I arrived and found out it was just a bunch of people in suits I was furious, because in my mind they should have said "There will be people dressed as the Simpsons".

I think this is a sound approach. It will allow kids to socialize in the society and culture without making them pariahs or just shunned. Doesn't let them wallow in confusion.




Welcome to literal land I guess. I am just beginning to understand how literal I have been all my life. That would sound like something I would think as well.

The Tooth Fairy is a good thing for children to believe in. Otherwise they may be afraid of having lost a tooth. The tooth fairy idea helps them in what might be a worrisome thing to them. Looking forward to a tooth fairy visit for losing a tooth.