Teacher telling 7yo that Father Christmas not real

I agree it's unkind to do it deliberately, and I don't doubt a child would be upset. But we seem to believe these days that if children get upset about small things it's the end of the world and they won't get over it.

Also, as @Nolegusta says, if parents are going to choose to lie about Father Christmas, they can't police others' decision not to lie, therefore they also take the risk that their kids will find out that it's a lie at some stage before parents decide to tell them.

I take OP at face value but I'm not sure her child's version will be 100% accurate.

Alternatively, the RE teacher might be a religious zealot like the JW father of the above poster who delighted in telling his 10 year old grand-daughter with Downs Syndrome that Santa doesn't exist.

We can all make up our own version of events but I normally take the OP's description of the issue they are raising at face value and don't automatically think that their account of events is untre.

'According to OP'.
The child may be recounting the events inaccurately to OP, or even missed something said previously or as part of another conversation in the classroom.

You could say that about starting the needless lie in the first place though.

An adult also knows the potential repercussions down the line when they chose to start the lie. Their choice, of course, but they cannot police others different choices.

I'm not keen on the lying about santa thing to start with, but I don't label those who choose to lie as horrible.
DS was never lied to about santa. He accepted that some people's parents did lie and was versed in the 'we all believe different things' reply.

Just gonna say that in 13 years working in schools and CAMHS in child educational psychology and mental health, trauma from finding out Santa isn't real never made it into the therapy room.

Nobody is saying it's this extreme.

But you're being a little disingenuous if you're saying a young child wouldn't be bothered at all by finding out Father Christmas isn't real just days before Christmas itself.

Nobody is suggesting it's going to create long term trauma, mental health issues or result in a stolen childhood.

But an adult purposefully telling a child Father Christmas isn't real is unkind

My father is a JW and derives great satisfaction from attempting to tell my now 10 years old daughter with Down's that Santa isn't real. It started about 5 years ago. Thankfully we don't see him very often, and she's usually not paying enough attention to him to comprehend what he's saying. I've lost my shit at him so many times, he takes no notice. He's blindingly self righteous, and walking on everything ice.
This teacher is basically the same. WHY does she feel the need to bring this up? Because of HER opinions. Everyone has them, they're like arse holes, as the saying goes. If she doesn't agree, she should just belt up and "scroll on by".

Indeed, most people do still manage to enjoy Christmas even after learning Santa isn't real. And look back on whatever made them find out and it's just a childhood memory like any other. If they even do remember at all.

Just gonna say that in 13 years working in schools and CAMHS in child educational psychology and mental health, trauma from finding out Santa isn't real never made it into the therapy room.

Honestly isn't always a kindness.

According to the OP, nobody asked the RE teacher about Santa. She wasn't answering a question asking whether Santa is real, so it wasn't that she didn't want to lie. She just told the class unprompted that Father Christmas isn't real.

Obviously she wasn't lying, but it wasn't her place to tell a class full of 7 year olds that Santa isn't real just before Christmas. The vast majority of children stop believing by the time they go to secondary school, so it wasn't necessary for the teacher to do this.

They would get over it, of course. Doesn’t take away how mean it is of the adult though.

Perhaps, but it’s not Christmas ending.

Not the teacher’s place. Unacceptable.

Quite possibly. It certainly isn’t going to be a nice memory, is it? It will always be the Christmas that the teacher spoiled for them.

Kids get over things quickly. Of course, it’s lovely to keep Christmas magical for them, but finding out Santa is not real doesn’t mean that Christmas is ruined.

But why would you want to ruin the magic on purpose though? Especially for a child that's not even yours!

Yeah, but it’s not going to ruin Christmas is it? Seriously

That's not your call though is it?

Why do something that has the potential to upset a child unnecessarily?

Kids get over things quickly. Of course, it’s lovely to keep Christmas magical for them, but finding out Santa is not real doesn’t mean that Christmas is ruined.

There are children who have never been told about Santa and still manage to have a wonderful Christmas.

Clearly that's not the same is it?

If, as a child, you genuinely believe Father Christmas is visiting you and you get told it's all a lie just days before Christmas, that's going to be upsetting for them.

If you never believed them of course it's not going to be the same.

Yeah, but it’s not going to ruin Christmas is it? Seriously

@SleepyHippy3
It absolutely would taint that Christmas. It would cause upset.
It wouldn't be a happy memory would it?

However, I didn't say it would 'steal their childhood' or create Armageddon. That's a tad over dramatic.

A child that is excited about Santa coming? Of course it would ruin it for them.

An adult knows exactly what telling a child just before Christmas would do and the child certainly wouldn’t consider it to be kind.

To quote you;

”I was referring to people who think ruining child's Christmas is acceptable.
It's a horrible thing to do.”

Now, isn’t that a tad dramatic, saying that a child’s Christmas is ruined because they were told a fictional character is not real?. Hardly