Santa Claus and the Tooth Fairy

[skysidhe]

Lady Sidhe had the handle on easing young minds into reality.

There WAS a Santa Claus at one time. It is love in your heart.

There IS a reason for the easter bunny and the christmas tree although not Christian ones. Knowlege is power so ease them into the customs...and replace it or keep it.

Making traditions a family affair about what is kept and what is not in the teen years as I am experimenting with. One thing that never changes is that Christmas cut out cookies are powerful medicine!

[TheMercenary]

Parents who stress over the "lying" aspect of the fantasy of Santa, tooth fairy, etc are skipping over the chance to have some great times with their kids when they are still young enough to be both cute and fun.

[Cloud]

First, I believe it is every parent's right to raise their children according to their own belief system, including whether or not to teach them about Santa Clause, the Tooth Fairy, or other cultural ideas.

Secondly, I personally feel it's kind of a shame when parents don't include mythical figures and stories in their personal teaching system. Kids are different than adults, and you can't always impose what to adults are rational belief systems. It takes some of the fun out of being a kid. And kids WANT to believe.

My grandson was told at a young age that there was no Santa Claus. He would tell everyone, very superiorly, at about age 5, that there was no Santa Claus. We had to keep him away from his littler cousins at one point, because their parents did not want the illusion shattered.

Oddly, after a change in circumstances, a change in stepfather, and a couple more years, that same child got all excited about Santa Clause last Christmas, even after he knew for sure, that Santa Claus wasn't real. Like I said, kids want to believe, they want to be part of the fun and the shared cultural excitement.

[Happy Monkey]

That sounds like evidence in favor of honesty. He can enjoy the fun of Santa without the lying.

We do both, it is important for both the encouragement of imagination and for their ability to learn to question authority. Something I'm teaching him all the time.
Finally, it's good fun.

[Jaydaan]

We taught our kids about the magic of Santa. When they were about 6 we started to "slip up" on purpose. We would start buying the adult stocking presents when they were with us. we would ask them who they were going to help surprise that year by helping Santa out and giving an extra gift to. When they started to suggest there was no Santa, we would answer with "are you sure? Do you really want to say there is no Santa... you know if you say that, there may not be any gifts under the tree for you". That being said they always put out the cookies (making sure they were ones Dad liked) and made sure there were carrots out as well.

Santa always gave a stocking to each person regardless of age, and one present to each adult and several to each child. The presents were never better than the ones given from Mom and Dad, or other family members, and as they grew up the number lessened. My son was 11 last Christmas, and he was so proud that he saved enough money (allowance, extra chores, shoveling walks) to not only buy all the gifts he was giving with his own money, but he also bought Dad's Santa gift as well.

The tooth fairy was shattered quite early, as he moved his tooth from under his pillow, and I woke him looking for it, and had to leave the room before he woke up all the way. The next morning he said " the tooth fairy must be really busy, cause she forgot me". I suggested I would purchase each tooth for the same as she would and he loved that idea. He would come up to me with his tooth and say, "trade you for a dollar Mom" If the tooth had a filling in it, it was only worth 50 cents.
We never did do the Easter bunny. We decorated eggs and had an egg hunt, but that was about it. I am Wiccan, my husband is Atheist with a strong sense of giving to others and spending time with family. So we compromised, we do the Wiccan "Easter" and the "mainstream" Christmas.

I guess keeping the magic of giving is what we celebrate more than Santa, the tooth fairy, or the Easter bunny. We try to create great memories with family and friends, celebrating the magic of the season (whichever one it is).

[Cloud]

the "Santa" presents are usually the ones too big or awkward to wrap.

There is a magic and wonder in the world that every child is entitled to receive. Parents should consider how to provide that, in line with their personal belief system.

I have a friend that uses Santa (on her speed-dial of all things) as her trump-card for bad behavior... I HATE it. Santa should be a good memory for kids. For him it is always a threat. It is all I can do to hold my tongue.

I really love that he, my son, believes, I never did... it just was not in me for some reason. I've never had faith in anything. I can remember humoring my parents and other kids at three.

[TheMercenary]

Originally Posted by rkzenrage

I have a friend that uses Santa (on her speed-dial of all things) as her trump-card for bad behavior... I HATE it. Santa should be a good memory for kids. For him it is always a threat. It is all I can do to hold my tongue.

Grow some nads and tell them they are fuck heads. JMHO.

Originally Posted by TheMercenary

Grow some nads and tell them they are fuck heads. JMHO.

My wife's friend actually, but there is a LOT more to the story.

[Cloud]

Wikipedia has a good article on fairy tales. Among other things, it says that no one set of meanings can be ascribed, and that the Brothers Grimm and others toned down the sexual themes and upped the violence in the tales.

and the article on the tooth fairy says it's a House Elf! and also says:

The Tooth Fairy is an example of folklore mythology sometimes presented to children as fact. Other prominent examples are Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny.The realization or discovery that such stories are make-believe is considered a part of the child's growing up. Such realizations can also cause significant emotional pain in some children due to feelings of betrayal, while other children regard it as a small matter or are proud of themselves for having unmasked the truth. Many adults remember clearly for their whole lives when and how they discovered the truth.