So the wife and I took a drive Thursday morning to her Doctor's office in Cleveland. With most of you probably knowing nothing about Ohio, it is like an hour or more away from where we live. And of course as most of you know long car rides can either be silent or talkative. Well the wife and I being the people that we are we talk... Almost every car ride near or far involves us chit chatting. So we get to talking about Christmas and Santa and all that jazz... and about our upcoming trip to the in-laws on Christmas Eve. And the conversation goes something like this:TheWife : My mom still puts 'From : Santa' on most of my gifts.
Me : (this pops out with NO thought what-so-ever on my part) "I will never teach our kids about Santa"
TheWife : (Says nothing at first but gives you that eerie silent head turn with WIDE eyes)
Me : Oh shit... what????
TheWife : What do you mean you will never teach our kids about Santa?
Me : (being the wise ass that I am and speaking ever so truthfully) Why would I lie to our kids about something that isn't real? Why would I tell them about a fat man that comes down our chimney or thru our doors to give them gifts and not the REAL meaning of Christmas?
TheWife : Well.....
Me : (On my anit Christmas high horse) I refuse to let our kids believe in something that isn't real! It's all propaganda. Christmas is about the birth of Jesus and that is what we will teach them end of story....
TheWife : Well I actually kinda agree with you. Just never thought of it that way.
Point for me.. I win... But what do you think?? Do you think I will be an evil mother for not teaching my kids about Santa?? Or the Easter Bunny or the Tooth Fairy for that matter??? I mean it's not like we won't get them presents and all that stuff... But in my mind why would I teach them about Santa when a few years down the road I'm going to have to fess up and tell the truth eventually anyway? And to me.. Christmas isn't about Santa! It's about Jesus' birth and HIS story.
So please I want your feedback! Should I lie to my kids and tell them all about Santa or the truth from the get go and move on??? I'm interested in what you think about it. I personally didn't grow up in a very good decent home. We were lucky to have food on the table most nights. And my mom is an alcoholic and drug user.. So any money she did get went to the local dealer or the bar down the road. I was always told I was too bad and that Santa passed our house by. So hmfp. Yeah that does some mental damage to a kid... Did you think I was joking in that Christmas MeMe I did a while ago when I stated "kids are supposed to get gifts?"??? Well I wasn't. I never got a thing as a child for Christmas. Not living with my real mom that is. So it was all kinda ruined for me from the get-go.
Ok that is enough of my past for now... Just pisses me off to think about it.
Signing off,
Sabrae Carter
www.mygccandle.com/amystill
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7 comments:
AARRRRGGG!!! Bright Red!! Burns my eyes! Hmmm... seems a lot of bloggers have some horrible childhood stories, sorry you are in that club. I'm torn... I can see the value of the truth in what you say, but childhood should also be a time of magic. Ultimately as long as the child is loved and treated well it does not matter. Just at times the truth is so harsh.
Your heart is in the right place. Many kids don't even know Christmas is the celebration of Jesus' birth.
But there could be many complications. Off the top of my head: all the other parents will hate you because your kid will be telling their kids there is no Santa.
I think especially during the holiday season, we are entitled to propagate the "magic" that is Christmas to our kids. It's not really lying to them and it's not obscuring reality. It gives them something to look forward to and believe in. I would tell my kids about both St. Nick and Jesus. I remember when I was very young, not only did I spend Christmas Eve sleepless and waiting for my presents to appear under the tree from Santa but also attending church and hearing about the baby Jesus's story and the Miracle that was his birth. You don't have to pick one or the other.
I think you can do both. We do for our kids. And really... the whole santa thing doesn't last that long anyway. By the time they are 8-10 or so they have it figured out anyway. Christmas is magic- whether its the magic of santa, the magic of baby jesus, or both all mixed together. :)
We're Catholic, so our kids are taught both things. You just wouldn't believe how effective that "Santa's coming, you need to be good" bribery works! LOL. And besides, you can give your kids the kind of love and happiness you wished you had had.
I agree with ~E. Plenty of time for kids to learn the hard truths when they grow up. It's not like you can stop them from hearing about Santa Claus. I grew up in a Jewish household, and I always resented the fact that I was left out of Christmas while almost every other kid I knew was celebrating and getting a visit from Santa. The memory still stings.
I've been thinking about this too. I don't think it's right to lie to my son about Santa. Luckily he's still young to understand. I honestly don't want to tell him about Santa. JMHO
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