Well thanks for that! I Guess im just gonna let her belive what she likes but when she questions that these things arnt real im not going to tell her shes wrong surely thats not right? I think you have to tell them when there right there right otherwise arnt we just confusing them

when she questions that these things arnt real im not going to tell her shes wrong surely thats not right?

Just say ‘He’s real if you believe in him’ or something. You don’t have to lie.

You don’t have to shatter her dreams either – plenty of time for that later in life.

* Take 1 piece of cardboard
* Cut out a Wellington boot ‘footprint’ pattern
* Once Little ‘uns are asleep on Christmas Eve, place on carpet and sprinkle talc over so a ‘snow footprint’ is left.
* Turn stencil over and repeat for other foot
* Repeat to create a trail from your fireplace to their bedroom
* Wake up to a wide eyed child on Christmas morning!

You could use the questioning process as a way of starting a discussion on the nature, and indeed existence of “truth”. Never to young to introduce your kids to good ‘ole philosophical debate!

Daughter – Daddy, does Father Christmas exist? Is he really flying all over the world on Christmas Eve delivering presents?

Daddy – Well, that’s an interesting couple of questions, first off just because something doesn’t fit in with our generally held understanding of how the world works, it doesn’t mean that it doesn’t exist. For example, if Santa was a quantum particle then my understanding of quantum physics (and I hasten to add it’s pretty limited!) means that there is the possibility he could be in all places globally over the course of one night! So, if we assume that out knowledge base is sufficiently limited then even asking the question seems a bit absurd.

Daughter – Whats a quantum?

Peyote, surely the daughter’s last question is ‘Can I have a Pony?’

Yeah good point. Although, if she’s anything like the way I predict mine will turn out then she’ll have Googled the answer to “The Santa question” a long time ago, copied her Fathers credit card details down and bid on a nice thoroughbred on Equiestrian-Ebay a long time previously!

OP – get a grip.

Our daughter is 12 and whilst she admits that she said she believed last year for mums benefit, even if we ask her now if she still believes a little bit, we get a little coy nod.

We have witnessed innocence disappearing at an alarming rate over the last year – believe me, when your daughter is 12, you’ll be wanting to cling onto every little bit.

+1

The Tooth Fairy visited my nine-year-old lass last night…deep inside I’m sure she’s sceptical, but she wants to believe, and I’m happy to let her for the time being.

I don’t quite understand why telling youur kids that Santa is a massive lie is ruining Christmas for them?

I’m pretty sure kids must have enjoyed Christmas perfectly well before ‘Santa’ was invented.

I suspect it’s parents who enjoy Santa more than the kids – children are far more aware than adults give thm credit for most of the time, they’re probably just humouring their mad old parents by ‘believing’ in a fake fat bloke in red pyjamas.

😀

Well thanks for that! I Guess im just gonna let her belive what she likes but when she questions that these things arnt real im not going to tell her shes wrong surely thats not right? I think you have to tell them when there right there right otherwise arnt we just confusing them

You are completely over-thinking this.

It is for fun. You are not denying the Holocaust.

I have no doubt my 7yo is aware of the reality. He enjoys asking me awkward logistical questions about it – this is his way of playing with me while also quietly letting me know he’s grown up enough to know. But he’d never come out and directly ask or state it. He knows which side his bread’s buttered on.

So, let me see if I understand this correctly; lying to your kids is acceptable and ‘fun’ provided you can blame it on a fake bearded stranger who breaks into your house, or little winged creatures with a weird fetish for discarded human teeth?

And lying to young impressionable children is necessary to make Christmas a ‘magical’ time for them?

Just so I know what to do as my 18mo grows up.

😀

On of our friends’ 7-year-olds twigged Santa wasn’t real last week: “Mum, Santa can’t be real, because he wasn’t there when Baby Jesus was born.”

On of our friends’ 7-year-olds twigged Santa wasn’t real last week: “Mum, Santa can’t be real, because he wasn’t there when Baby Jesus was born.”

Also, you wouldn’t need a ‘Santa’ person as Christmas didn’t exist at that time … unless Santa did exist, and this new-fangled ‘Christmas’ thing gave him a new career opportunity

unless Santa did exist, and this new-fangled ‘Christmas’ thing gave him a new career opportunity

He’s very good at changing career is Santa. When he signed up to a sponsorship contract with Coca-cola his PR went into overdrive.

It’s only a matter of time before Apple jump on board with the i-Sleigh…

So, let me see if I understand this correctly; lying to your kids is acceptable and ‘fun’ provided you can blame it on a fake bearded stranger who breaks into your house, or little winged creatures with a weird fetish for discarded human teeth?

Well, yes.

He doesn’t break in, anyway. He comes down the chimney and nicks sherry.

Went through the same dilemma with my Sisters kids and now we’re going through it with MrsBouys nephews of 3+5.. from my experience seems to me that kids make their own mind up if Santa exists or not. .So far it does seem to be the youngest who is more sceptical than the eldest.
Of the all the kids at the Club, it seems they go through a very short span of believing Santa exists, then very quickly realise he doesn’t.
But I’m of the opinion that it’s good to have a fertile imagination and believe in stuff other than the material, so I’m probably more inclined to nurture the imagination.

My Mother told me that if you don’t believe in Father Christmas, he doesn’t visit you.

Last Christmas was my first year at home for a few years, but I still believe and I still get presents from him. My parents also get presents from him too. This works well for all of us.

We do “proper” gifts later on in the day. Everyone really enjoys Christmas this way, so we’ll probably always do it this way.

Father Christmas isn’t the same as Santa btw. The two ideas have become conflated but they are quite different.

Ah. So which one would you recommend me making lies up about for my kids?

How about the Christmas Goat?

Ah. So which one would you recommend me making lies up about for my kids?

Never mind that. How about the the favourite Chrimbo lies, where you tell your aged relations how much fun it is getting everyone together and how much you love their gifts?

Children need to know how to deliver tactical untruths.

Father Christmas isn’t the same as Santa btw. The two ideas have become conflated but they are quite different.

That’s just what he wants you to think! He has to change job occassionally to avoid arousing suspicion. Like MacCleod in “Highlander”.

Edited – ‘cos my Scottish speeling is almost as bad as the accents in said film.

Already having problems with our family christmas plans 🙁

wwaswas – Member
And ‘lying’ about them is completely different to anything to do with religion.

how?
Because having a religious belief is a profoundly important decision for any individual to make and to have that belief (either for or against) influenced by a parent is not something that I believe should be done.

Almost all of us believed in Santa at some point but as we grew up we realised he was just a make-believe character like the tooth fairy or Dracula or Easter bunnies as our parents would eventually admit it was all a make-believe game. But for many people, religious belief is something they take with them into adulthood and I simply think that is a decision only an individual should make.

Father Christmas isn’t the same as Santa btw. The two ideas have become conflated but they are quite different.

Wikipedia says:

In the English-speaking world, the character called “Father Christmas” influenced the development in the United States of Santa Claus, and in the United Kingdom and elsewhere, most people now consider them to be interchangeable.

Santa Claus, also known as Saint Nicholas, Father Christmas and simply “Santa”

But for many people, religious belief is something they take with them into adulthood and I simply think that is a decision only an individual should make.

So my ‘he’s real if you believe in him’ approach works for santa and god?

I think I was supporting your view really – parents telling kids that God is ‘real’ is as bad as saying santa isn’t. Children are able to make their own minds up about stuff at a young age. I do find the whole Fundamentalist Christian Right in the US and the associated ‘beliefs’ in some fairly wierd stuff very worrying.

Father Christmas isn’t the same as Santa btw. The two ideas have become conflated but they are quite different.

Yes, yes, this is all very well, but you are ALL missing the point, which is that The Italian Job, The Muppets Christmas Carol and National Lampoon’s Christmas Vactation will be on the tellybox.

That’s what really makes Christmas!

conflated

Aggghhhh!

*runs away from thread screaming*

And as he’s just an idea, they’re now the same thing 🙂

So my ‘he’s real if you believe in him’ approach works for santa and god?

I think I was supporting your view really – parents telling kids that God is ‘real’ is as bad as saying santa isn’t. Children are able to make their own minds up about stuff at a young age. I do find the whole Fundamentalist Christian Right in the US and the associated ‘beliefs’ in some fairly wierd stuff very worrying.

Yep – I think we were.

conflated

Aggghhhh!

*runs away from thread screaming*

What’s wrong with conflate? It’s not a neologism.