No santa? Would you be mad?

[Royd]

You probably ought to contact NORAD, because they waste thousands of dollars every year, tracking and broadcasting his journey around the world. But then, the government is filled with liars, from the top down.

 

[dainerra]

well, NASA has to spend their money on something, right

Personally, I would be kind of ticked if my kid's teacher told them that. Not because it's the end of the world, but because it's an end of childhood innocence. We all know that our kids will eventually stop believing, but do we really want to hurry that along?

 

[Royd]

Quote:
I disagree...lying to your children in the first place is poor parenting, IMO, and then forcing a child who has learned the truth to withhold that truth from a younger child is also just as wrong. It definitely sends the wrong message at many different levels.

It's really very simple....one can tell their children the story of Santa Clause~the real one~without bursting some Christmas spirit bubble created by commercialism and still stay within the realm of honesty. Choosing not to do so is setting your child up for a painful truth one day, whether the teacher tells her or her older brother does so.

Sad, really, that something that silly is such an issue in this world.

You can bet that teacher had an agenda of her own, and it wasn't about disclosing the truth for truth's sake.

 

[Royd]

Quote:
Sorry, but half the anticipation is waiting, while pretending to be asleep, for the fat, sneaky, mysterious gift bringer to deliver his load of gifts....What do you tell the child about who brought the gifts, and why are they gifts, in the first place? Why bother with the wrapping and the wasted paper? Why bother with a tree and decorations? Why not just throw the packages on the floor on Christmas morning, and say, Here's your Christmas present, from Visa?

 

[Q9]

I would agree that it isn't the teacher's place to say that, however...

I also agree that parents should not be telling their kids that Santa Claus gives them presents. First of all, it's lying. Second, it leads to really uncomfortable situations - "Mommy, I've been really good, why didn't Santa bring me [insert expensive toy], but did bring it to my friend?" We never did the whole Santa Claus deal when I was little, and we were fine with it. I recall asking for a certain toy for Christmas, my mom told me it was too expensive, and that was that. I was fine, and certainly not traumatized by the idea that Santa wasn't real. In fact, my sister (when she was 5 or so) was confused, because we made it clear at home that Santa was not real, but at school they talked about him as if he were real.

 

[Royd]

Quote:
So, now, we have to take a whole day to describe the Winter Solstice tradition of innumerable pagan tribes, just to justify Christmas?

I'm sure we could work it into Earth Science class somewhere, but I didn't take Earth Science until the 9th grade.

 

[Beekissed]

Quote:
Sorry, but half the anticipation is waiting, while pretending to be asleep, for the fat, sneaky, mysterious gift bringer to deliver his load of gifts....What do you tell the child about who brought the gifts, and why are they gifts, in the first place? Why bother with the wrapping and the wasted paper? Why bother with a tree and decorations? Why not just throw the packages on the floor on Christmas morning, and say, Here's your Christmas present, from Visa?

Well, I always told my children that we give gifts to symbolize the gift that God gave the world with the birth of Jesus Christ.

I told them that I gave them gifts, provided as all things are~by God, to them to honor Christ's birthday(yes, I know that Dec. 25th is disputed by some as to the actual day..and don't care).

We wrap them to hide the contents, as most gifts are surprises(birthdays, anniversaries, etc.).

We don't put up a tree~we place a nativity~to symbolize a sacred event in history~ and add lights to highlight it in a place of honor, placing our gifts around the nativity as the wise men brought gifts from afar.

We also read the Christmas story as written in the Holy Bible on the Christmas eve, acknowledge how this greatest gift has affected our lives and discuss how love is the greatest gift one can really ever give.

And I don't use Visa...I don't go into debt for Christmas. My kids were always overjoyed with whatever God provided for our Christmas...be it the food, the warmth of family, a package of socks or toys. Still are...I have great kids with tender hearts that still enjoy the Christmas holiday no matter how old they get.

They understand the true significance of the day and try to make every day just like Christmas...showing God's love to others because He first loved us.

How do you celebrate Christmas?

 

[dfr1973]

I didn't grow up with the Santa fairy tale, so I just don't get it. Our gifts say who they're from, so we know who to thank. The only time a tag would say "From Santa" would be if someone was trying to be anonymous ... and it doesn't take too long to distinguish handwriting. Hiding presents from each other was half the fun (along with shaking the boxes that slowly appeared under the tree). No one tries to convince their children that Paul Bunyon or the Wizard of Oz are real ... why this one? Why are parents, grandparents, and a nanny up in arms about this?

(I seriously do not get it.)

 

[mom'sfolly]

I don't think it was the teacher's place to tell the kids there was no Santa. Especially children as young as second grade. I suspect the teacher of having some sort of agenda. Most teachers would defuse, divert or otherwise avoid the question. A teacher who elects to tell the kids there is no Santa while studying the North Pole has other things going on. I would question the motivations of such an action.

Just for a little different view. Most kids don't understand reproduction at second grade level. For the teacher to explain sex to the kids is neither lying, nor is it an age appropriate response for the teacher. Many families have stories (less so now days) about where children come from. It is not a second grade teacher's place to tell the kids that the parent's story is neither complete or truthful. Not quite the same, but it does speak to what is appropriate for a certain age level.

I also don't believe that fostering a belief in something magical is harmful to children, or is lying. When my kid's have asked, I've always answered, often leading with "what/who do you think Santa is?" By the time they ask, they are ready for the answers. Santa is like the Man in the Moon, Frost Fairies, and other myths of childhood. My kids have not felt hurt or betrayed by the finding out that parents are Santa. My older child willingly kept the magic for his younger brother.

My kids have grown up in a diverse environment, and understand that not everyone believes the same things.

 

[eenie114]

I'm not a parent, but I love the way it's always been handled in my family. What with outside influences, kids seem to hear about Santa without parents ever having to bring it up.
When one of us came to a parent with the "Mommy, I don't get it" question, the answer was always, "Do YOU believe that Santa is real?" Some of us have chosen to believe in Santa, some not. But the rule has always been you do NOT tell your younger sibling your opinion of the truth, as they get to decide for themselves.

We've also taught them all that St. Nicholas was a real person, but that he is no longer alive. Nobody has had a problem with this, as we aren't telling them that SANTA is dead, we're telling them that St. Nicholas is dead.
Right now, Mazie is the only one who still believes... But her extent of understanding is that Santa is that one guy at Watkin's Mill who gave her an orange.