Why Lie?

The tale of Santa Claus has been widely used in the United States and in many other countries worldwide and it is passed down generation after generation because of the great memories it brings parents of their childhoods believing in the existence of such figure.

Some say that if children believe in Santa, Tooth Fairy, or any other nonexistent creature, it will help them use and develop their imagination skills. The thing is, children use their imagination regardless if parents tell them about these fictional characters. Instead, many others believe that it harms kids because once they find out, they will feel like they cannot trust their parents anymore, they have been deceived by the people that they thought would never lie, hurt, or disappoint them. On the other hand, psychologists state that lying to children about such imaginary figures do not benefit or harm children in any way. 

Guayaquil, Ecuador.

Growing up in Ecuador, where Christmas celebrations are very different from the ones in the U.S., I do not recall any memories of my parents seriously lying to me or my younger sister about this old, fat, bearded man who is nice enough to reward kids from all around the world if they behaved as best as they can through the entirety of the year. As the years go by, the people from Ecuador take different beliefs and celebrations from different countries and start to incorporate them with our original ways of celebrations. Same has happened with the Santa Claus myth. The main reason why this has happened is just to improve sales and boost the economy, but I am pretty sure that not many Ecuadorian parents actually make their kids believe that Santa brings gifts and that they should leave cookies for Santa and that he will come down the chimney (maybe because almost nobody has chimneys in their houses due to the great weather throughout the country). Ecuadorian children do not open gifts on the morning of the 25^th, we open gifts at midnight (cheers for not having to wait all night long!), when the whole family is celebrating the gathering and the loving atmosphere. Most Ecuadorian children know that their parents are the ones that get them presents, we just do not know what we are getting.

 Good thing that not deceiving children about Santa does not harm kids, otherwise we Ecuadorians and many others from different countries would be pretty messed up and would not be imaginative at all because we also do not get lied about Easter Bunny, or Tooth Fairy (Ecuadorians have something different for that). 

But if it does not harm or help kids, what should parents do? Lie or not lie? This is a difficult question that new parents face and are often unsure of what is best to do. Many parents have reported to feel bad about deceiving their kids but enjoy the fun of this tale but also they often worry about the time when it is time to tell their kids that it was all a lie or whenever they find out by themselves and show being upset at their parents for lying to them. But if you do not make you kids believe about this, your children will be the one in class telling all the other kids that Santa is not real and many will get upset at him. Just remember that telling the truth is the right thing to do.

I believe that parents should not make their kids believe in any kind of nonexistent figures, children can do that themselves with no problem. If I ever happen to have kids in the future, I would not want my 7 or 8 year old to be really disappointed of me and lose the trust s/he has given me. After all, s/he will have many other wonderful things to put his/her imagination to use without me having to get my hands dirty with deceive and have my kids distrust me afterwards.

ImaginationLand

Should parents lie to their children about the existence of Santa Claus? First of all, let me get this link out of the way http://www.pbs.org/parents/special/article-winter-is-it-okay-to-lie-about-santa.html. This website gave me some insight on another way to think about this whole question. When I first thought about whether or not parents should lie to their kids, I decided that they shouldn't. I say that because the children are going to be devastated when they find out the truth, (depending on what age the child actually finds out), and because the parent is setting their self up for double standard. The double standard is the parent telling the child not to ever lie to them, even though, the parent has lied to their child about multiple things. Santa Claus, Tooth Fairy, Superheros, and so on and so forth. But then I started to think about it. Why can't they lie about to their kids about Santa Claus? What's the harm? My parents lied to me about Santa Claus and I came out just fine. I assume your parents lied to you about Santa Claus and look at you, you came out just fine. Some came out better than others, but that's another topic for another day. To be honest with you, Santa Claus and the Tooth fairy and the Easter bunny are more realistic to us as a society than all of the other things we have to go through in our everyday life. I say that because we enjoy the concept of believing in magical and fantasy-like ideas. It makes us feel better and these beloved characters mean so much to us and have a special place in our hearts. I'm sure we all remember the South Park episode/movie named Imaginationland. (If you haven't, go watch it.) Here's a Youtube link to the part that of the episode that correlates to this topic. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3hmD4MTcq64. In this segment of the episode, Kyle talks about the impact that these fantasy creatures have had on our life, and more importantly, our way of life. These characters were here before we were born and they are going to stay here long after we are gone. Telling kids about Santa Claus doesn't actually require lying. Parents are simply encouraging their kids to take part in a fantasy. When parents take their kids to see a movie, or when they read their children a book all they are doing is encouraging the child to participate in this utopia.
I remember all of the excitement and joy I felt every Christmas morning waking up believing that Santa Claus presented me with the gifts under the Christmas tree. Now I would have been just as happy if my parents told me that they bought me those presents instead of Santa. But the holiday tradition is more valuable then the presents that are received on Christmas morning. The holiday season is my favorite season. Maybe because of Santa Claus, maybe because of the food. But because I know the holiday season is here, I am more happy than I have been this whole year. I will stay happy and when I have children of my own, I will tell them about Santa Claus and the Easter bunny and the Tooth Fairy. And I would bet my bottom dollar that they will come out just fine.

Lying for Santa's Sake

Think back to your childhood. It's Christmas Eve, and you and your siblings have left out freshly baked cookies and a glass of milk near the fireplace.  Empty stockings are hung on the mantel and there is nothing under the tree.  You lay in bed staring at the ceiling, praying for morning to come sooner.  You are waiting for one man and one man only.  He is a big jolly man who will fill your stocking and bring presents galore to stuff under the tree.  You are waiting for Santa Claus.

   

Parents choose to tell the Santa Claus lie to their children for their own good. Honesty is usually the best policy, but the Santa Claus lie is one exception.  Parents are only trying to enhance their child's imagination and give them a better childhood experience.  If this involves telling a small fib for their own good, then they should lie.  As long as young kids believe in fantasies such as Santa Claus, parents should just go with the flow. "Children ages 3 to 6 are deep into their fantasy life, and they are delighted when parents play along," says Adele Brodkin, Ph.D., senior child development consultant.  Psychologists have found that fantasies help children develop creativity, language, and cognitive skills.  White lies such as the Santa Claus lie show children that it is okay to believe in things that may seem impossible, and to ultimately chase their dreams.  Whether your kids are in preschool or high school, there are certain times when it's OK to fib. One of these times is the Santa Claus fib.

Although experts stress that truthfulness is crucial to a healthy parent-child relationship, they also agree that sometimes less than the whole truth can be a good thing. "A parent's job is to protect children and nurture their development," says Robin Altman, M.D., a child psychiatrist and medical director of the Children's Home of Reading, in Reading, Pennsylvania. "At times, that means telling a small lie — or holding back some of the truth — when they don't have the capacity to deal with all the facts yet."

Some argue that parents should not lie to their children about Santa because children may never forgive them and learn to not trust their parents.  But psychologists have found that these little lies of expedience are harmless if they are used sparingly. They actually help enhance children's imagination, teaching them that anything is possible.

Parents should continue to lie to their children about Santa. Believing in Santa was one of the best parts of my childhood, and everyone should experience this period of make believe as a child.  If the lie is small and harmless enough, like the Santa Claus lie, children will get over the initial heartbreak when told he isn't real, and they will learn to trust and ultimately thank their parents in the end.  Although my heart was broken when my older brother told me that Santa wasn't real, I'm very thankful that my parents lied to me about Santa Claus, enhancing my childhood and allowing me to believe in fantasies.

Should parents tell the truth about Santa Claus?

"Is Santa Claus Real?" 

Many parents wonder if it is okay to let your children believe in Santa Claus. According to child psychologist Bruce Henderson, it is not necessary to let the kids experience reality by telling the truth about who has really been putting the presents under the tree. When I was little my parents told me there is no such thing as Santa Claus. They never actually allowed us to believe in any of the childhood fantasy figures. So I never believed in Santa Claus.  I am sure that I still acted and lived like any other kids from school and I don't think I ever had any problem getting along with other kids who actually believed in Santa Claus. Just like any other kids were, I was always excited for Christmas. My brother, who also did not believe in any of the childhood fantasy figures, told me that dad would just give him money when he tried to put a tooth under the pillow. I asked my parents why they did not let us believe in Santa Clause, Easter Bunny, or The Tooth Fairy and they said they did not want to make us believe in things that aren't real.  So instead of telling me and my brother to wait for presents that Santa Claus is going to leave under the tree, my parents prepared the Christmas presents for us.  But I personally think it would have been better not knowing the truth about Santa Claus.  I'm not saying that the way my parents raised us is wrong but I'm thinking about letting my kids believe in Santa Claus because I think children should believe in Santa Claus so kids could be kids. 

 Even though the impact that these imaginary figures have on kids are all different, I can say that I was a little bit colder than my friends.  My older cousins also said that I did not act age appropriate when I was still childish in different ways. Many parents worry about deceiving their kids so they struggle to decide whether they should tell the real story or the myth about the imaginary figures. I can't say that teaching the children about deception, as parents are encouraging the children to believe in a lie, is always a good way to start but at some point children will naturally find out the truth about it and be disappointed.  And disappointment is something children will need to learn eventually, which is better for them to start learning with a disappointment that is not as serious as the disappointments that they will experience in the future.

Parents should let their children believe in Santa Claus and any other imaginary figures. Kids should be kids for how ever amount of time that they are given to enjoy being kids. They will eventually find out the truth about their imaginary figures and they will have to face the reality soon.  So until then, kids deserve to live in their own little imaginary world and get ready to find out the truth about everything in this world.

Should Parents Lie?

Should Parents Lie?

Even though we now know that fictional characters
such as Santa Clause, the Tooth Fairy, and the Easter Bunny do not exist, we were very excited about the activities associated with them as children. Part of the innocence of our younger years was due to our obliviousness to the real world  realities. For this reason, parents should lie to their kids about the existence of Santa Clause and other holiday characters. Parents telling these little white lies serve no other purpose except to see their children get excited and smile. No child has ever grown up to be a criminal because their parents lied about the existence of Santa Clause. The experiences associated with these characters create memories that the family can cherish for an entire lifetime. I am almost positive that all of our parents or guardians have pictures from our first Christmas. Not being able to sleep on Christmas Eve due to the anticipation of what would be under the tree the next morning and shredding the wrapping paper off of what was there is something we can all relate too. Wondering how Santa was going to fit down the chimney and how he would make it to every other child's house before morning were thoughts we all had laying in bed on Christmas Eve. Can you imagine how your Christmas mornings would have been without these signature holiday traditions?  As children would we have really understood and appreciated all of the hard work and effort that went into the gifts we received for Christmas anyway?  Other characters such as the Tooth Fairy were also essential to our childhood. Why would anyone be excited about losing teeth? We all cried and were afraid when our teeth began falling out until we learned that we would be rewarded with money underneath our pillows. Going to school the next day bragging about the five dollar bill we retrieved from underneath our pillows was something we all looked forward to. Your parents placing this money under your pillow instead is not nearly as enjoyable. The Easter Bunny is another

fictional character with which several of the activities we had fun doing is associated with. Painting boiled eggs a variety of colors and rushing to the field where the eggs were hidden to collect more than your friends were some of the most fun activities of our childhood. If our parents would have told us the truth about these different characters it would ruin the entire spirit of the holidays for us. We would not enjoy movies such as the Polar Express which discusses a child's wild Christmas adventure to the North Pole. We also wouldn't be able to share these pivotal points in childhood with our friends. So is the knowledge of the true facts of these holidays really worth demolishing someone's childhood? Being exposed to what the holidays are really about would have robbed us of our childhood innocence. When we have children I am sure that majority of us will be helping our kids make cookies for Santa, putting money underneath their pillows, and painting eggs with to hide with them. This key experiences our how a family creates memories.

Don't Be a Grinch

I cannot quite remember when I first found out Santa was imaginary; however, I can remember the excitement of waking on Christmas Day and running to our family Christmas tree to see what presents Santa had left for me during his overnight journey.  The excitement would have most definitely been minimized if not completely gone had I known all along that all of those presents I had received over the years had come solely from my parents. Santa Clause encourages children to use their imagination and explore new ideas in their heads; why would a parent want to take the fun out of a holiday? Santa Clause is part of the Christmas tradition; what little kid do you know that does not have a picture sitting on Santa's lap in the mall or even with the Easter bunny? The anticipation of Santa coming to your house in the middle of the night is the most exciting part of Christmas in my opinion. 

Making cookies and leaving milk out for Santa to take with him and his reindeer on their long journey was a very rewarding feeling. Could you even imagine Christmas time without Santa Clause? No Christmas movies, no Rudolf, no Santa at the mall, and most importantly no cookies. I personally enjoy seeing little kids' faces light up the morning of Christmas or even when they are sitting on Santa's lap at the mall as they spew out their Christmas wish lists to the old man in a beard. Without Santa Clause, Christmas is simply not the same holiday that we all know and love; all of our comforting traditions would cease to exist. So parents, do not be a Grinch and take all the fun out of Christmas by being honest about Santa Clause, let your children enjoy their childhood and live out the Christmas experience to the fullest. 

Parents: Come Clean About Santa

Parents: Come Clean About Santa

Most parents know that lying to their children is wrong. But there has been one constant lie through the years that has been justified by every generation: the existence of Santa Claus. First off, lets look at why parents lie about Santa. Most would say it is because of two reasons, one being the tradition behind Mr. Claus, and the other, the lit-up faces of youth as they receive their presents.

            But are the smiling children worth it? Is the idea of Santa Claus simply a white lie used to expand the imagination of our kids? Or can it have a negative effect on a child. Chaley-Ann Scott fromt Psychcentral.com points out that an uncovered lie like such can affect a child’s capacity to trust adults. This could pose a real problem. I remember watching the sadness on my siblings’ faces as they caught my parents putting presents under the tree. They were heartbroken and full of questions: “Who puts the presents under the tree?” “Why would you lie to us?” “So he really isn’t real?”

            Lying to children about Santa Claus is quite unnecessary. Had this Christmas tradition not been so widespread, it would be easy for people to realize how ridiculous such fabrications are. Children can enjoy the magic of Christmas without the belief that a fat jolly man wearing a red sweat-suit somehow slides down your chimney and puts your favorite presents under your live tree sitting inside of your house.

            The main problem with the Santa Claus tradition is that it is not a story that one tells their children to broaden their imagination, these are real beliefs put into a child’s head. Parents take advantage of the fact that their children are not fully mentally developed and feed them lies to excite them.  Once children find out, an inevitable occurrence, their hearts will be broken and their trust in their parents will lessen. It is unnecessary and rude to children. Come clean parents, come clean.