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For each of these questions, parents must extend
fantasy (i.e. generate more lies) to keep
myth alive just a little longer. While these adults think it's okay to deceive children when it is for their own good, it may actually harm them.
Whether they finally figure it out for themselves or their parents confess
truth about Santa, children experience sadness, regrets and often, a sense of betrayal. Their parents—the adults whom they had trusted
most—lied to them. What good is a short-term fantasy if it damages a child’s core sense of trust?
Santa Claus is Coming to Town Parents need not do away with
Santa experience all together. A fun and emotionally safe alternative to
traditional myth is
Santa Claus Game. In
Santa game everyone pretends that Santa is real. This enables everyone to enjoy all
activities that others enjoy. The main difference is that your children understand that Santa is just pretend.
You can introduce
game during
pre-school years. Of course, at this age children are too young to truly understand
difference between pretend and real. But you can take them to visit Santa and do all
Santa related activities children like to do. From time to time you can say things like, “This Santa game is fun!” You can even put out milk and cookies for “Santa,” again explaining that it’s just pretend.
As
children get older and want to know more, explain that in this pretend game Santa has magic and can do all
amazing things that people talk about. Talk about Santa in a fairytale, magical kind of fashion. The fact that it is a game will not detract any pleasure from
child’s fun.
By
time children are five and six, you can stop
emphasis on
pretend factor. At that age they will still be excited to visit Santa and sit on his lap, even though they know it is all pretend. When
children are ten and eleven years old, they can still get presents from Santa and many will still want to put out milk and cookies. The difference now is that they will have that “special twinkle” in their eyes when they ask, “What kind of cookies would Santa like this year?”
Eventually you won’t have to talk about it being a game anymore; you’ll simply have fun. And isn’t that what
holiday spirit is all about?
Children are excellent at pretend games and enjoy them immensely. Even though
Santa game is make-believe, it differs from
traditional myth in a crucial way: All
players know it is a game. Adults may then tell children that not all families play
game and that some children don’t know it is a game. This information explains why Santa doesn’t come to all families, and why some children think Santa is real. It also clears up why some children don’t get what they want from Santa, even when they have been “good.”
Children who learn
Santa game equally enjoy
magic and excitement that others receive from
traditional Santa experience. Most important, though, they don't suffer
disillusionment and sense of betrayal of discovering that Santa isn’t real. So keep in mind that when you sing, “You better not lie, I am telling you why”—a child’s trust and happiness is at stake.
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Dawn Fry is the founder and CEO of Helping Our Children Productions, a publishing company that provides educational CD’s giving practical help to families and childcare professionals. Ms. Fry has more than 60,000 hours of professional experience working with children. For more information, visit www.DawnTalk.com