The delicate matter of the truth about Santa ... *spoilers*

I just read this article, and it's strange to me because my parents always told us that Jesus/God gave them jobs all year round, and that's how they had money to buy gifts. It also balanced out that some kids' parents had better paying jobs and got more gifts, while others got less. Strangely enough, I sometimes feel like I missed part of childhood innocence by not believing.

BUT now my niece is growing up here, and my sister is raising her to believe in Santa. When do you tell a kid the truth? Do you believe one should be straight-forward and not let them believe? Were you scarred when you figured out the truth?
Should parents tell the truth about Santa?

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So, now, people are worried about scarring their kids, so instead they want to teach them the facts of life right up front?

Kids today have already lost their youth WAY too early and are far too ‘im-mature’ as it is. Why would you want to do that to a child?

Pretty soon there will be no Tooth Fairy, or Easter Bunny (although, when I DID find out my mother was the Easter Bunny, it did do some damage. She was out hiding eggs and I looked out the window to see her in a sheer night gown without any underwear on. But that’s another story).

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Diva ... I know! Like I said, I feel like I missed out on some of the magic of childhood. Not sure I would do it to my kids.

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After having taught high school for ten years, I was suddenly thrown into 7th grade. For reasons I can't remember, I said something in class about Santa being a myth. One of my kids got a very shocked look on his face and said, "THERE'S NO SANTA?!". I've never gotten over that.

Don't!

They have so much taken away now, that you should give them SOMETHING!

It's didn't scar me, and as others have said, "we all sort of knew anyway!"

I think if you take that sense of wonderment away from a child, you kind of crush them.

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Exactly. I eventually just asked my mom when I was 8, but before that, Christmas was so amazing to me. Don't ruin those happy years for kids!

I think The Santa Clause facilitated how I felt about the existence of Santa.

Kids grow up way too fast, and they need fantasy and something magical to believe in.

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Sorry elph ... I did warn there were spoilers.

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And blow jobs...

But that's besides the point.

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I think the Polar Express is the best book for slowly moving into the truth about Santa Claus.

I don't quite remember the exact moment I found out. Though I do remember peeking from my bedroom and seeing my parents putting the presents under the tree. However, I also remember peeking from my bedroom in the dark seeing a beautiful tree with tons of presents when I believed. It was such a magical sight even if I did have some doubts.

I never did like the actual visit to Santa, so I appreciated when I could send "hints" to my mom about what I wanted!

TheatreDiva, you made me laugh!

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Kids at school are starting to tell my 8 year old brother that Santa isn't real, yet my mom keeps telling him that Santa most certainly does exist. She was raised in a home where her mom told at a very young age that Santa wasn't real, so she doesn't want my brother to lose the magic. But I think that when the children start questioning it, you just need to sit them down and say that the magic can still be there, there's just not a fat man involved. (Well, there is in my case-- my step-father, but that's a whole 'nother story!)

My parents tried to tell my brother and I pretty young that there was no Santa so that we would focus on the meaning of the season. We refused to believe them, so they played along until we got older.

I don't think there's any harm to not letting children believe. It's not scarring them to tell them there's no Santa--my cousins (4, 6, 10 now) were told upfront, they still enjoy Christmas, and they have a great idea about the love that embodies the season. On the other hand, I don't think there's anything wrong with believing in Santa. I think this is totally a parent's call and we shouldn't judge families who choose either way (I'm not saying we are, just saying.)

Also, as a second-grade teacher, I'm pretty sure very few of my kids believe anyway. We didn't really talk about it.

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