AIBU to think they have set the little girl up for a big disappointment?

[Joolsy]

OK I am more than happy to be told I'm an old grump, but on This Morning they have a 'live link up' to the California Coast with a 'real life mermaid'. This mermaid is talking to a little girl who is completely mesmerised and believes every word she's being told. The presenters are asking the mermaid q's like "do you get legs if you're out of the water for too long?" or "is it possible to learn to be a mermaid?" completely seriously. AIBU to think that sooner or later the little girl is going to find out (possibly from the kids at school) that it's not real and feel huge dissapointment and maybe embarrassment when she's older? Yes I know we all tell little fibs to our kids but this is on a much bigger scale, infront of the whole nation?

[Owllady]

You what???
Mermaids aren't real?!

[CherryPicking]

I don't see why this is any more harmful than any form of make believe play - which is essential to healthy psychological development in children. Yes I was a bit gutted about Santa, but what I couldn't have known back then was how the idea of him was a catalyst for my own imagination.

[The80sweregreat]

Sounds like that Splash ! Film with Tom Hanks. Agree, the child will be disappointed for life. How old was she? Why was it being done?

[Oysterbabe]

Did your kids believe in santa?

[coffeeisnectar]

yabu. vvu.

Mermaids are real and I won't be told otherwise.

That said, all kids believe in something ... Father Christmas, The tooth fairy etc. We have seen children on TV meeting Father Christmas. No one laughed at them and I doubt they felt embarrassed at any point later in life.

I think it's an incredibly sweet thing to do. The memories will last a lifetime.

[angelos02]

I don't see any difference between that and santa/tooth fairies etc?

[LouBlue1507]

I think YABU. She's 2! Should she also be told that Santa and the tooth fairy don't exist because she's getting set up for a let down??

[Owllady]

My mum told me that splash was a documentary

[pollyblack]

I don't really like any made up stuff for kids like santa etc, so yes i agree with you.

[ijustwannadance]

YABVVVVU
They were doing something nice for a sick child who had met the mermaid before.

[Osolea]

How is it any different to the stuff most of us tell our children about Father Christmas?

[NeverbuytheDailyMail]

If she's 2 she probably won't remember it anyway!

My six year old announced at the weekend that he doesn't believe in Santa or the tooth fairy and although he is willing to concede that a man called Jesus did exist at one time or another, he thinks the bible is full of nonsense and that heaven isn't real !!! Maybe I should have set up a live web chat with the tooth fairy!

[Iliveinalighthousewiththeghost]

That's the beauty of being a child though. Everything is magical, wonderous, make believe and possible. It's all part of the innocence of childhood. I mean what's next. Not letting children believe in Santa sbc the Easter bunny, as. They might be disappointed when they find out they're not real

[curren]

Yabu. We took my Dd wo Florida when she was 2. She believed the characters she met were real.

She is now 12 and completely undamaged by the lies, we and Walt Disney world fed her.

[RainbowJack]

I agree. It's no different to Santa or the characters at Disneyworld.

YABU

[tibbawyrots]

Childhood magic. Lovely. 🦄

[gamerchick]

I admit to cringing a bit. It wasn't so bad until they said the bairns school is watching. Kids can be cruel.

[Joolsy]

She isn't 2, she's 11! And I appreciate it's similar to FC and the TF but this is on a much bigger scale

[Mizzworthy1]

Depends on her age. If she's older then I guess she would be embarrassed but for younger kids I think this is along the lines of santa/tooth fairy etc...

[mumeeee]

YABU

[KERALA1]

We hired a professional "fairy" for a 4 year olds party. She was expensive but wow she was good. A pretty twenty something drama student type arrived dressed to the nines as a fairy and was in character from start to finish.

A few weeks later my friend overheard her usually very practical and down to earth dd explaining to her sister that of course fairies we were real she had met one at Kerala's dd's party. Worth every penny!

[NeverbuytheDailyMail]

11 !!!! She MUST know that the mermaid isn't real!!!!

[SaturdaySurprise]

I didn't see it and I'm surprised an 11 year old would really believe it.

I agree with you. I think it's awful when adults think it's cute to exploit children's credulity.

[BeauGlacons]

Think it's lovely. Istill believe in fairies I'm 56

[Malvolia]

Sounds ghastly to me, but then we don't do Santa as literally real in this house either, which removes a lot of angst about which culturally-mandated lies to kids are cute and wondrous, and which are exploiting small children's credulity.