Lying to your children

Believing in Santa was magic for me as a child. It was exciting and special. I never once thought of it as my parents lying to me. Our Christmas's were fun.

Now I have children. I'm keeping that magic alive. My children are so happy and so excited about Christmas. I am excited right along with them. I feel like a child right now. It's awesome.


Every Christmas Eve my Dad's Family would get together and one of the adult males would dress up as Santa. We always had lots of laughs and good times. Well my Dad's brother and his wife were constantly changing Religions. This particular Religion they were more miserable than the last. As Santa came in the house and was spreading cheer my Aunt decided to tell her daughters that he wasn't real. That he was really their cousin. The entire family just about spit fire at this lady. What a bitch we all thought. She could of waited till she got home with her daughters to talk to them about it. She had no right to drop that bomb on the entire family.
Christmas's were never the same hanging out with them.

 

People who hate their parents and call it a "lie", have deeper problems than just the Santa Claus issue.
It's fun for the kids to believe in something magical. Little girls like to believe in fairies and unicorns, too. They will figure it out for themselves, and maybe they'll want to pretend for awhile, too.

Some kids have imaginary friends, totally normal, but will you insist that their pretend games are LIES? Lie is a very strong word, kids will grow up anal and neurotic if they're not even allowed to play pretend.

They want to believe, it's not a lie if you're pretending along with them.

 

seed implantation time

 

I never believed in santa....since little i saw my dad working his ass off before the holidays to be able to buy presents for me and my brothers. I'm glad my parents never lied to us about how hard life is...i learned to appreciate my parents even more.

 

I have a little riddle for you:

Life is hard, but I have something in my pants that is even harder.
What is it?

 

Is it your swollen little brain?

 

No, it is a key but thank you for participating.

 

Maybe your parents didn't want you to make long lists for Santa, and then be disappointed when they couldn't get you those things. That's great that you appreciate what they did for you, everyone should appreciate the things their parents do for them. Having more money shouldn't equal less respect.

My children are not lied to about "how hard life is". I am allowing them to be children, not sit them down and whine about my mortgage payments. That is not their fault or concern.

I was one of four siblings, both my parents had to work, and we didn't have fancy things. But no one took away my dreams and fantasies just because we didn't have money. When I look back now, we were poor, but I never knew it. And it wasn't a lie not to be jaded like that.

 

i couldnt agree more. i like watching my children be children. if i could go back in time and believe in the things they do and not be so negitive like i am today , that would be great. those were the greatest times of my life.

 

I don't who would do that

I guess I just see parenting different than other people. I feel like I'm preparing my children to live their own lives. I believe life should be totally truthful and as devoid as possible of fakeness. I try to lead by example

I told them that Santa was like the Grinch, fun for stories and tv, but not coming in our house. I think at the time, my most challenging child was asking me about the logistics of how Santa (she's a smart one, thats the one that asked me what the meaning of life was when she was 4) worked, who replaced him if he died, etc and I just didn't feel right making up answers to her legitimate and logical questions. She wasn't upset, as a matter-of-fact, she was relived. The whole thing just didn't make sense to her and trying to figure it out was making her frustrated

 

It is clear that some of us won't admit that we all lie to our kids sometimes.

When you have a four year old ask you how babies are made, who here will say that they tell them the literal truth?
I think that the worst part about the santa thing is the way it instills in kids the idea that it is okay to bribe.
Be good and you will get gifts, don't be good, and no moola from the fat guy.

I still believe in magic, miracles, guardian angels, spirit guides, etc. so I am a little different than most 40 yr. olds, I assume.

 

My son (5) has asked, and he knows the basics. I told him that I will tell him more when he is a bit older, and he accepted that. There was no stork involved.

It really isn't used as a bribe, or else no kid would ever get presents. No joke.

 

lol i know i was thinking that too. i dont tell me them they wont get gifts unless they are good, thats just bs no kid is good all year! ha!

 

I come from a different culture (latin america) and over there, things arent as easy going as in first world countries. I'm not saying my parents didnt allow me to have a normal childhood, but as far as i remeber i always knew that santa didnt exist, for some reason i never bought it! I had a happy childhood, my parents gave me almost everything I wanted in material and emotional terms and i am now a considerable happy adult, still got some problems as everyone else, but I have nothing bad to say about not believing in such things as santa, or the easter bunny, etc. but for me santa was never a big deal, i was happy knowing that i could spend a lovely evening with my whole family eating a delicious dinner on xmas day.that was enough for me to be happy.

 

my mom and dad were santa and the tooth fairy and the easter bunny. they enjoyed it and I enjoyed it.

 

while I admire those of you who don't hold it over your childrens heads, some people, like myself, were told "You kids keep fighting with each other and you're not getting shit for fucking christmas"(give or take a ffew explicatives)

Then after christmas it was the, "I just spent all that money on you guys for christmas and this is how you fuckin' act, see if I do it again next year."

It does happen, sadly, and it pisses me off to see parents like that.

 

it pisses me off to see that too! i didn't live through that, but i have cousins who do. its sad.

 

Mine were also the cupid that left chocolates for me Valentines Day.

People grow up differently, believing different, shown differently. Christmas is what you make it for you and your children. So if you don't like it now change it when you have children. If you do like it let the tradition live.

 

You are so good at posting the best answer for a given question.

Simplicity on display.
How could anyone disagree?
And it harm none, do what you will.


I wish my dad would accept my views on christmas, but he wants me to see it as he does.
I am not a huge fan of this season, for a long list of reasons.........but I like the spirit that people talk about....it is good to see it still lives on.

Merry merry
Happy happy

BG13

 

it's not lying, it's make-believe. can't very well start out teaching your kids that dreams are lies, now can you?