Why do People think its okay to ruin Santa for kids? Update - p. 21, post 307

[Polyluvr]

Is there a...Thou shall not believe in a fat guy in a red suit who when he laughs has belly that shakes like a bowl full of jelly?!?!?

Cause, I really dont see any of these 10 that discuss Santa...

1.I am the LORD your God. You shall worship the Lord your God and Him only shall you serve.
2. You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain.
3. Remember to keep holy the Sabbath day.
4. Honor your father and your mother.
5. You shall not kill.
6. You shall not commit adultery.
7. You shall not steal.
8. You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
9. You shall not covet your neighbor's wife.
10. You shall not covet your neighbor's goods.

Amen to that

 

[Dictator]

I would have been livid!

And for those that want to know why a parent would lie about a myth to their children, I'm sure that before you enter the gates of WDW that you explain to your kids that Mickey and Minne are just people in costumes, that's not really Snow White or Cinderella. . .just some actresses, and that most everything they are seeing is just a facade right?

Yes. Why would I lie to them into thinking the 5'5" foot tall mouse is real?

I think allowing your kids to believe in Santa doesn't take away from the religious aspect of Christmas at all.

Agree

It's part of the magic of being a child. St Nick is alive in spirit. . .that spirit of giving and bringing joy to other people at Christmas. Why is that bad?

So...instead of leading by example and showing how joyful and giving the parents/family are, they fool thier kids into believing in something that is not real.

She stole part of those children's innocence and youth.

Give me a break. When I think back to the "bad" instances I had as a kid, I certainly don't remember one of those times being when I found out the truth about Santa.
Would a child who was never lied to about Santa have less of a magical childhood?

As far as it being a Catholic religious class. . .St Nick is alive and well within the Catholic church. . .so it didn't have anything to do with "religion."

And how about the Easter Bunny? Would the parents be up in arms about that if a religion teacher "outed" that lie?

Parents seem to have this odd fascination of lying to their kids about things which don't exist. Toothfairy. Santa. Easter Bunny.

 

[Polyluvr]

Yes. Why would I lie to them into thinking the 5'5" foot tall mouse is real?


Agree

So...instead of leading by example and showing how joyful and giving the parents/family are, they fool thier kids into believing in something that is not real.


Give me a break. When I think back to the "bad" instances I had as a kid, I certainly don't remember one of those times being when I found out the truth about Santa.
Would a child who was never lied to about Santa have less of a magical childhood?



And how about the Easter Bunny? Would the parents be up in arms about that if a religion teacher "outed" that lie?

Parents seem to have this odd fascination of lying to their kids about things which don't exist. Toothfairy. Santa. Easter Bunny.

Please don't tell me you're a parent ~ seriously ?

 

[hambirg]

Yes. Why would I lie to them into thinking the 5'5" foot tall mouse is real?


Agree

So...instead of leading by example and showing how joyful and giving the parents/family are, they fool thier kids into believing in something that is not real.


Give me a break. When I think back to the "bad" instances I had as a kid, I certainly don't remember one of those times being when I found out the truth about Santa.
Would a child who was never lied to about Santa have less of a magical childhood?



And how about the Easter Bunny? Would the parents be up in arms about that if a religion teacher "outed" that lie?

Parents seem to have this odd fascination of lying to their kids about things which don't exist. Toothfairy. Santa. Easter Bunny.

You're missing the point. Why am I not surprised. Nobody is asking you to lie. Just please refrain from taking the liberty of telling MY kids about things that are none of your business. TIA.

 

[Polyluvr]

Having been the product of a Catholic education, I can state for a fact that while my religious instruction was slanted towards church doctrine, the time between mid-November and Christmas (no, not winter/holiday) break was spent not only on the writings pertaining to Christmas, but also the more secular aspects of the holiday. The tree, mistletoe, the true 12 days of Christmas, Santa/St. Nick; they were all included and at no time was it EVER mentioned that Santa was a lie/didn't exist, and this was a class taught by a nun from the old school. So, no, the teacher had no business inserting her personal opinion into the mix.

This is the way it is @ my son's Catholic school~ and the way I like my children being educated

 

[Dictator]

Please don't tell me you're a parent ~ seriously ?

Yes. I am a parent. Does the fact I don't lie to my kids make me a poor parent in your eyes?

You're missing the point. Why am I not surprised. Nobody is asking you to lie. Just please refrain from taking the liberty of telling MY kids about things that are none of your business. TIA.

Then tell your kids not to ask questions you don't want them to have the answers too. TIA.
If you chose to lie, eventually the truth comes out. The longer that lie lives, the worse the truth hurts.

 

[tlbwriter]

However, if someone directly asks my kids a question and my children politely say we don't believe in santa, but I would like so and so for Christmas or answer appropriatly- the adult always feels the need to correct my child and insist santa is real! I get soo upset. This even happens in school. So the teacher can't insist Jesus is real, but will not allow my child not to believe in santa?? As you can tell- this is a pet peeve of mine!

Ugh. That's bad too. I don't know why people can't understand that it's none of their business, either way, and they just need to butt out!

 

[Thumper_Man]

 

[Figment1983]

I have to agree and many Christians do not even incorporate Santa into their Christmases for that very reason.

Not disputing what the Christmas holiday is all about, but how would you like for a science teacher who was Atheist to tell your kid that God was not real and was something mythical?

 

[Polyluvr]

But this was a Catholic religious class. Saints are an integral part of the Catholic faith. This is from a Catholic apologist:

Myths are a means of conveying certain truths pictorially rather than didactically. When parents tell their children tales of the Easter Bunny and the Tooth Fairy, the larger truths that are being conveyed mythically are that we are part of a larger universe and are watched over and cared for by good spirits whom we cannot yet know empirically. This can be considered groundwork for later introduction to the communion of saints.

As for Santa, he is based on a real person: St. Nicholas, an early Catholic bishop who is a patron saint of children because of positive interactions he was believed to have had with children during his life. The stories that have been based upon St. Nicholas are what we call legend. Legends are generally non-historical or unverifiable stories passed down through the ages about a person or group of people. While Catholic parents may want to make sure children know about the real-life saint behind the Santa Claus legend, there is nothing wrong with passing on pious legends to children.

The real question probably comes when children find out that their parents are the ones who are providing the Santa gifts, Easter candy, and Tooth Fairy money. In my experience, parents tend to worry too much about how their children will receive this news. Many children through many generations simply accept this information as a part of growing up, and, in fact, will "collude" with parents to keep the myth going by not letting their parents in on the fact that they know The Truth in order to avoid spoiling their parents' fun. But, if a child does feel betrayed to find out The Truth, then the parent can explain the context of storytelling and myth-making, perhaps pointing out to the child that Let's Pretend is a game for people of all ages.

Of course, it should be said, if a parent does not feel comfortable taking this approach to Santa, the Easter Bunny, and the Tooth Fairy, the parent is free to leave out such stories from his child's education. He should though teach the child to be sensitive to not spoiling the fun of other children by telling them that such characters are Not Real.

I guess that teacher's parents never taught her that last part.

ITA!!! This thread and the beliefs of some that think it's ok to ruin a holiday for a small child~ is just burning me up!!!! After all , this is the DIS boards~wasn't WDW and Disneyland founded on the love of the mystical?

I can't even believe people are so cruel and heartless~ it's probably because their Christmases stunk as kids ~

 

[luvmy3]

Yes. I am a parent. Does the fact I don't lie to my kids make me a poor parent in your eyes?


Then tell your kids not to ask questions you don't want them to have the answers too. TIA.
If you chose to lie, eventually the truth comes out. The longer that lie lives, the worse the truth hurts.

I always wonder what happened to people when they were a kid that it makes them so bitter about letting a child enjoy the fantasy of Christmas (and I assume other things as well). Maybe you can enlighten us?

 

[Polyluvr]

Yes. I am a parent. Does the fact I don't lie to my kids make me a poor parent in your eyes?


Then tell your kids not to ask questions you don't want them to have the answers too. TIA.
If you chose to lie, eventually the truth comes out. The longer that lie lives, the worse the truth hurts.

ummmm; I think your kids will have kids who will be allowed to believe in whatever they want .

 

[Polyluvr]

I agree~ I'm out of this now~

 

[hambirg]

Yes. I am a parent. Does the fact I don't lie to my kids make me a poor parent in your eyes?


Then tell your kids not to ask questions you don't want them to have the answers too. TIA.
If you chose to lie, eventually the truth comes out. The longer that lie lives, the worse the truth hurts.

They don't. . .and that's the point.

And you have any evidence to back up that last part. . because in cases like this, the opposite is usually true. Kids will simply outgrow it and be ready to accept it on their own time, not some predetermined time decided by a legal stranger.

 

[Dictator]

I always wonder what happened to people when they were a kid that it makes them so bitter about letting a child enjoy the fantasy of Christmas (and I assume other things as well). Maybe you can enlighten us?

Nothing. My parents did the whole santa thing with my brother sister and I. I choose not to lie to my children. I don't understand how lying to your children makes Christmas more magical. I guess it's so they can't "blame" you when they don't get xyz for christmas. They'll just blame that myth.

 

[FlightlessDuck]

I always wonder what happened to people when they were a kid that it makes them so bitter about letting a child enjoy the fantasy of Christmas (and I assume other things as well). Maybe you can enlighten us?

I don't think it's about being bitter, I think it's about not wanting to lie to your kids. Or telling them that bribery ("be good and Santa brings you gifts") is OK.

My wife and I decided to go the whole Santa route, but I questioned it quite a bit when we were pregnant. What if my kid distrusts me when he or she finds out the truth? What if my kid questions the existence of God since Santa isn't real, either.

It's not black and white or simple. It's not bitter vs. fantasy. It's actually a really important thing to think about. Do you decide to play the fantasy? If so, how do you explain the truth once it is discovered?

 

[DisneyBamaFan]

Wow! This thread took a turn for the worse.

 

[PrincessKsMom]

Yes. I am a parent. Does the fact I don't lie to my kids make me a poor parent in your eyes?


Then tell your kids not to ask questions you don't want them to have the answers too. TIA.
If you chose to lie, eventually the truth comes out. The longer that lie lives, the worse the truth hurts.

So you don't ever lie or fib or try to buffer the truth for your kids? If a family member or one of your children were to become seriously ill, would you just blurt it out and tell them to deal with it? Somehow your response seems very emotionally detached, as if just because something "is" there should be no emotion involved. When you're kids asked about sex did you just blurt out the mechanics of it all, because that's what it is -- just a physical act with no emotion involved? After all, they shouldn't be asking if they don't want an answer.

 

[Dictator]

ummmm; I think your kids will have kids who will be allowed to believe in whatever they want .

That's certainly their choice to make.

I don't condone what this teacher did, in that, it shouldn't have been her to tell. But if you choose to lie to your kids, don't get upset when that lie is shattered either on purpose or not. You set them up for it when you began the lie.

 

[DisneyBamaFan]

That's certainly their choice to make.

I don't condone what this teacher did, in that, it shouldn't have been her to tell. But if you choose to lie to your kids, don't get upset when that lie is shattered either on purpose or not. You set them up for it when you began the lie.

Santa is not a lie. I believe.