Should You Lie to Your Kids About Santa?

There are only two meanings about this question. Many parents think, that the magic of Christmas is really worth it and they enjoy acting out the whole story again and again. Some even play too much and bake cookies, pour some milk in a glass for Santa and leave carrots outside for the reindeer. Kids are happy to find some chewed carrots and bitten cookies and half empty glass. And of course, presents!

But one day your child will find out the truth, and whether it will be some older kid on a playground, or even you, you won't be ready to answer the question, whether it's really so. And although many kids are doing fine when they find out, that Santa was just a myth, a fairytale, and the presents were brought by parents, some really feel betrayed. This feeling can influence the whole adulthood, and now we're not even talking about relations between you and your child.

Psychologists believe, that the myth about Santa Clause is great for the children at the age of four, five and six, because they love living in the world of fairy tales. And even when they find out that they were lied to, they are still fine, because sooner or later they would finally realize, that their parents are not almighty.

On the other hand, you can avoid upsetting your child and still enjoy the miracle of Christmas. Telling the story about Santa Claus is just a part of it, but whenever your child asks you, whether it's really real, a simple answer “yes” or “no” isn't enough. You either choose to explain, that it's just a story, that could be true, but you don't know it for sure, or let your child answer this question, by asking “And what do you think?”.

Many progressive parents choose to follow this style of parenting. They don't lie, but at the same time they let their children choose whether to believe in Santa or not and live in this world. And when the child grows up, the knowledge that Santa is not real doesn't strike so hard, because it feels like the end of the story. A really good story. However, they are involved into the tradition of storytelling and can enjoy it, because they are now part of those people, who make this story come true.