I just need some input.
My oldest is 6 (kindergarten) and very much believes in santa. Well at least he did until 3 hours ago. His older cousin told him that it was really his mom and dad who gave him that great jeep that he loves and that it wasn't Santa. She said he could ask her parents and they would tell him the truth about the entire thing. So he goes to my sis-in-law and says, "M..... says that Santa is not true. IS it?" Instead of playing it cool and just saying yes. She expclaims, "M......, I told you not to tell anyone. I'm so sorry!" "Is he real?" He pleads. "You'll have to ask your parents." He starts to get teary and I tell him it is real. He says, "But M..... says that it's not and you say it is real. I don't know who to believe. She said to ask her mom and she would tell me." I say, "Ask Aunt A...." She says, "You'll have to talk to your parents about it." She wouldn't just say anything to calm him even though it was her daughter that spoiled it. She then gets really mad at her daughter and sends her to a time-out. I'm thinking, "Way to play it cool. He is a smart kid and is going to wonder why she wouldn't confirm and why she go so upset and kept saying sorry to me and my hubby." I know some people choose not to have Santa as a part of Christmas, but we do and it has been so much fun. I was hoping that our oldest would believe for awhile since he didn't have older siblings. I'm really sad about it. He says he believes, but I know the seed of doubt is planted. What would you do?
4 comments:
I think you're going to have to tell him the truth at this point. Santa is based on the legend of a REAL person St. Nicholas (and you can tell about who he was and what he did). Then You can help him understand that Santa is a symbol for the spirit of Christmas.....that warm, fun, exciting, fuzzy feeling we all get a that time of year.
AND then explain that even though Santa isn't real, the REAL source of those feelings (Heavenly Father and the Baby who's birth we are celebrating) ARE in fact real. The fun is fun, but it's only a tool to point us to what is REAL.
Mine were older but once they knew they were able to stay up Cristmas Eve and help their Dad and I "be Santa."
It became a part of our holiday and they loved it.
I tell my kids it's something people do to make it fun(dressing up as santa etc) they know the gifts are from us. they know santa at the mall is someone dressed up as one. They don't mind knowing and they have fun with it.
Thanks for all your comments. I've got a lot to think about. When we first started the Santa thing I didn't think about it very much. It is what we did growing up and so we just did it.
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