AIBU to think using Santa as discipline in a preschool setting is inappropriate?

11 replies

zeddip · 15/12/2023 21:59

As the title says really, my little girl keeps telling me the teachers keep threatening to call Santa for little things like someone's not listening etc.

They have an elf that's watching them and "making sure they behave". Is this normal in early years settings?

Am I alone in thinking this is out of order for these little 3-4 year olds? Why don't they just use the discipline they have in place the other 11 months of the year??

We don't do the naughty and nice list at home but I've told her some families believe that and do but we don't, if parents want to then that's up to them. But now my sweet little 4 year old is obsessing over whether she's been bad or good and telling me if others have been bad every time she comes home.

OP posts:

UsingChangeofName · 15/12/2023 23:33

YANBU
It is neither appropriate nor reasonable.
I'd have a quiet word with the Room Leader or Manager

StSwithinsDay · 15/12/2023 23:34

YANBU. I would be having words with the manager first thing Monday morning.

MumChp · 15/12/2023 23:35

Yanbu. Not okay!

Lady1576 · 15/12/2023 23:37

YANBU I’d be really annoyed about this and would probably say something.

stargazer02 · 15/12/2023 23:42

Not ok. I was a bit peeved at the teacher writing "Santas watching!" With a list of chores the kids should do for homework this week for a class of 9-10 year olds. Id be fuming at a preschool teacher!

Skimm · 15/12/2023 23:44

Yes, also for children who don't celebrate Christmas and won't be getting any presents. They're going to think its because the nursery snitched on them to Santa.

wwyd2021medicine · 15/12/2023 23:54

Hard YANBU

KaiserChefs · 15/12/2023 23:59

YANBU. I had the conversation with my kids that Santa comes whether you're naughty or not, but that he can only give them things we have paid for or sent to him to give them. I don't want them thinking that if we can't afford their Christmas list that they must have been naughty. I don't want them thinking that people in their class who get expensive presents (and are arrogant and bully other children for having less) are automatically good and that people in their class who maybe don't get anything are automatically bad. It really feeds into that social myth about rich people being "your betters". As a society we need to move away from naughty/nice = better/worse/no presents.

On top of that, I think it's abhorrent to hold presents over children's heads like that. Or for them to grow up with a sense of being watched and judged by some random weird supernatural creature. And what preschoolers would even get the whole concept anyway?

SgtJuneAckland · 16/12/2023 00:04

Not ok, DS' reception class has an elf, but from what I gather it's just a terror who the children have to tidy up after each morning (today he toilet papered the home corner) when he's done something else, feels a bit like karma 😁

Mutters123 · 16/12/2023 01:31

YABU! Are you seriously going to complain about this? Unless you are teaching at the moment, you have no idea how bad behaviour is. These other behaviour management strategies mentioned are non existent or not effective as is evident from your DD constantly telling you that people have been ‘naughty’
I am baffled that you’re focusing on something teachers and parents have been saying for years over your DD is telling you how badly behaved the others are in her class! No wonder there’s a teacher recruitment crisis! 🙄

saraclara · 16/12/2023 01:54

Mutters123 · 16/12/2023 01:31

Well I'm a teacher and I'd be furious if Santa was being used as a threat to 3 and 4 year olds.

Quite apart from the unfairness and illogicality of it, it's a pathetic strategy.

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