Grandpa just had conversation in front of my daughter saying no such thing as mermaids or Santa Claus.

[Traceyemc]

I'm so upset with them, they have no filter and I don't see hardly anyone due to lockdown and temporary accommodation being moved around by council annihilated my social life and business.

Just watching a Barbie movie, on holiday my dad said There is no such thing as mermaids and mum said she'll learn. Dad said: like saying no Santa. And mum said oh she'll find out there's no Santa soon too. She's said something just as awkward too.
I'm so upset and she's only four. They're 70 soon.

Your parents may not remember how bright a four year old is and how much they can understand. I think all you can do really is impress on them the importance of how your DD will hear them and will understand them as she’s not a baby anymore. So they need to keep their private thoughts to themselves, especially about childhood magical things like- and list what is important to you Santa, Fairies, Dorothy in Oz, Mermaids, Atlantis and so on.

It sounds incredibly hard to have been moved from pillar to post by the council, are there any groups local to where you are now? I know our town’s Methodist church runs tons of free meet-ups and activity days for all the families affected by the housing crisis and it’s open to anyone, don’t need to be Methodist, Christian and they make a point of not trying to convert anyone because we also have Afghan refugees here too. I think you need to find some social outlet with other children and mothers/parents.

Our local library also does a lot for free as well for families and children the age of yours. Weekly Lego building contests. Drawing/art days. Storytime.

I know you’re in temporary accommodation, but hopefully you get a chance to explore and find a few places while you are there.

Mermaids I wouldn’t be bothered by but Santa would annoy me. I didn’t think children ever really thought mermaids were real. I’m sure you’ll get her back believing again in the run up to Christmas. Sympathies though my mother especially is terrible for putting her foot in it

I've asked my mum to be mindful of what she says and she's just complained that she cannot say what she wants and be herself. That it's not fair of me to ask her to impose guidelines.

I grew up in the 80's, I watched jaws at 6 or 7. There was no limit to 15 and 18 movies or pub culture, I thought that was normal.

In terms of meeting other people, I've been moved to a very boring place, lots of couples, who stay in and that's normal when you have young kids and a mortgage and live in the suburbs. Obviously I've met some people but not like people I knew before, maybe it's when drink involved?
People open up a bit more???

OP, there are millions, if not billions of children worldwide who know Santa isnt real.
Let’s stop normalising lying to children please.

Just to add my parents never said anything to make me think Santa wasn't real as a kid. I worry it's old age and demented behaviour?!

@Cosycover Same! I've not been on here long but this had me slack jawed!

I don't see why it matters. Either your DD really wants to believe in Santa - in which case you can doubtless fob her off with 'oh goodness, how sad granny and granddad don't believe any more!' kind of explanation - or she doesn't.

If for you Santa is something magic and special, then just explain that grown-ups lose the ability to see Santa.

Good grief.

Believing in Santa is part of the magic of childhood!

Also wondering why this will in anyway affect your childrens mental health.
Lying to kids for years and then the kids finding out the truth and that they have been lied too..........that will potentially affect their mental health. Finding out you've been lied to, especially for years about something you thought was amazing, magical etc and lied to by your family - the people that more than any others you need to be able to trust.

Parents teach their kids not to lie but also tell lies themselves. Makes no sense to me at all. Fwiw I have young adult dds now - they've known since they were about 5 that Santa isnt real but that has never stopped them enjoying Christmas, thinking about Santa on Christmas eve travelling across the sky with his sleigh and all the reindeer etc. But without the fear that a strange man is going to come down the chimney and go into their bedrooms.

Tbf, fewer parents are doing the Santa thing these days as it can be hard to keep up the fiction. More and more parents are telling the story of Saint Nick and how parents give their children gifts in honour of St Nick on Christmas. Especially with the cost of living crisis and times being tough. It avoid the questions of children who come home and say “Santa got Sally a new bike and an Nintendo switch but all I got was new pyjamas and a jigsaw puzzle, was I not a good enough girl for Santa mummy?” To the struggling single mum who scraped together £20 for Christmas because that’s all she had. It can be heartbreaking.

So as I say, going down the St Nick road means less privileged children aren’t linking how great presents are to how good a child they were all year. It means too they aren’t thinking they can ask for just anything from Santa.

Thanks, some good ideas. One mum I met said Santa brings one gift as she doesn't want him taking all the credit. She brings the rest.

I just think at this age it is quite magical to let them believe.

I'll just say their are non believers and she'll figure it out, if she hasn't already. Even I get confused and forget who gifts are previously from and mix them up, where they from.

My mum totally denied saying it when I mentioned it to her today. Changed the wording, to deflect any wrong doing. Both folks claimed she wasn't listening and never heard any of it!

So I'm the bad one for having a problem with it.

I do not know anyone who tells the story. Or who does not do Santa actually. Even those of different religious backgrounds from Christianity that I know do Santa.