to not 'do' santa?

[jmt2211]

I don't believe in Santa and refuse to lie to my child about it. The first year he could ask about it was when he was 3 and I just said that lots of people liked to believe in Santa but really he was just pretend.
I have yet to find a single person who has done the same, even if I can get them to agree in principle, no one will agree in practice. I'd love to hear what others think (other than that I am a Scrooge) and see if anyone agrees with me....

I am that a couple of people have compared Santa to God! Is believing Santa a religion now? And should we really accord the same respect to belief in him as we do to belief in God??? It does seem utterly bizarre to me that many people think it's ok to say to a three year old that God doesn't exist (despite the fact that later in life the same child might choose to believe in God and gain a lot of solace from it) but that it's not ok to say that Santa, a completely fictional character, doesn't exist. So incredibly odd.

JMT I don't agree with your approach but you are at least making an effort and celebrating Christmas so I don't care what you're doing with your own DC. I think most people, including me, are annoyed at you telling your child other parents are lying to their kids. My DS was told by a Jewish kid in school at age 6 that there is no Santa and it's your parents. I told him Santa only comes to people who believe in him and it's a Christian thing. I like the mum and I'm not annoyed about her kid saying this but if he had told my son I am lying I would have been very annoyed and would have had a word.

You're being a bit disingenuous in saying "look, I said their parents were just pretending which is what more people are claiming to do. I think it's lying but if calling it pretending make you feel better then crack on."

You have made these comments throughout this thread and these comments are self-righteous, pompous, sanctimonious, a bit nasty in places, uncaring about other kids and inconsistent (you will actually lie sometimes):

1. I guess I just value truth more than others.

1. as for you missmoopy parenting is serious! I am not sure what type of parent you class yourself as but I hope you don't tell your kids that raising them wasn't really that serious of an issue for you.

1. I told him that those children's parents actually gave them the presents but pretended they were from santa (truth). What he really couldn't understand was why those children's parents were lying to them. I find myself easy to explain but do you? when your child asks how santa gets round the whole world in one night or how does he get into houses without chimneys what do you say? (insert your lie here)

1. for those of you who posted a with reference to how sad you feel for my child- I hope you cry on xmas morning thinking of him.

1. if other people didn't lie to their children I wouldn't be in such an awkward position, you guys have created this problem with your own lies yet I am the bad one for telling my child the truth. Why should I have to cover for you?

1. I have no responsibility to other peoples children.

1. I have been accused on here on taking it too seriously; maybe the lazy ones are the ones who can't be bothered to challenge society as to why we do this

' maybe the lazy ones are the ones who can't be bothered to challenge society as to why we do this'

Why would I want to challenge society-I know why I do it?
I don't think that anyone compared God to Santa-it was only mentioned by someone who thinks that God doesn't exist. I wouldn't say to a DC that God exists or doesn't exist, I would say that some people have a faith and some don't and when they are old enough they can decide for themselves.

Personally if my DC came home and said "Johnny at school (who is a JW) tells me that because I'm an atheist I'm not to going to go to God's kingdom" I'd have no trouble saying "I don't think that's true pet, don't worry about it." If I'm willing to say someone's dearly held religious beliefs are not true then I think it's not too much of a stretch to say that Santa's not true.

On the same theme, if I came on here saying "All you parents who don't play along with the idea that God is real are lazy and selfish," I'm sure I'd get a right kicking, yet people are completely riled up here about a fictional character whose main image was created by a soft drink company. Sooo weird.

Really WriterofDreams? Why is that so shocking? To me, Santa and God are equally mythical beings. I'd rather my kids believe in Santa than God actually, because its fun and they will grow out of it. Believing in Santa, IMO, is a much more positive thing than believing in a god.

YABVU.

I don't believe in Santa NOW but my childhood was so much more majical because I believed in him and I intend to keep the magic alive for dd.

The adult world and a child's world are different imo and it's good to apprechiate the child's world for as long as possible.

magical

I just don't get how anyone could be scared for life because they realise that Santa dodn't exist.
I was gutted for a while but soon got over it. Same as when I found out about the tooth fairy, Easter bunny God dragons etc.

(Joke about God btw)

Well if they're equally mythical, then they're equally harmless aren't they? So why shouldn't everyone make sure their young DCs believe in God, after all it give a convenient and comforting explanation for what happens after people die and it's a useful way to give DCs a sense that the world is being cared for by a benevolent being. Belief in God has been demonstrated to give psychological benefits - children who believe in God are more secure and less anxious.

So given that the benefit of believing in Santa is the opportunity for children to have magic in their lives, and that belief in God is a more secure, less anxious child, surely I'm not wrong to claim that parents who don't encourage a belief in God are somehow letting their children down? If I am lazy selfish for not encouraging a belief in Santa, why are you not lazy and selfish for not encouraging a belief in God?

But bonnie that is your belief and you are perfectly entitled to it. Just as people who don't "do" Santa are perfectly entitled to do that.

FWIW my DC have an awful lot of fun with a Christian Christmas. DS1 is busy learning to play carols on the piano. DS2 has been making a nativity scene out of an old cardboard box. He was incredibly excited as he was chosen to light the first advent candle in church last Sunday. I have just snuggled up with them in bed and read the first chapter of The Christmas Mystery, a novel about travelling to Bethlehem. So religion and fun are not actually mutually exclusive

writerofdream- you are much more articulate than I am! Thanks for putting into better words what I have been trying to say. I am a more antagonistic person I think and have been restraining myself considerably.

jumpty- loved your numbering! I could go through and list what specifically prompted me to write each thing but that might give you the impression I cared what you thought.

Some child is going to give the game away to other children at some point...it might be mine or it might be an older sibling or another child who just happens to finds out accidentally. Xmas will be ruined for every child at some point...except mine who know all along.

"Xmas will be ruined for every child at some point...except mine who know all along"

That rather assumes that FC is the be all and end all of Christmas for every child (which it isn't).

correction: xmas will be ruined for every child who has been told about santa...except mine who knew all along

The correction doesn't change my point though... when child feels that there is more to Christmas than FC then finding out the truth about FC (whether at 3, 13 or 30) will not ruin it. (It probably won't ruin it for a child whose only enjoyment of Christmas revolves around FC either, but I'll leave that for others to discuss).

bye maryz, you better nip back over to that bitchfest thread you created about me