White Knuckle Parenting: The Santa Lie
The Santa Claus myth is all kinds of fun when your kids are little, but when are they too old to still believe?
I remember when I first told my oldest son, Sam, about Santa Claus. He was two months old and obviously incredibly invested in the myth. He stared vacantly at me, digesting the importance of my words. He may not have awoken with wonder and excitement to find his filled stocking that first Christmas morning, but he really liked the toy Santa brought him that flashed lights and sounds when he kicked it. Naturally, it probably took him a couple more years to really understand who Santa was and why he should care (and then maybe another year before he would agree to sit on his lap at the mall), but once the story took, it took hard. Sam believed in Santa with all of his heart—and once his two brothers came along, they did as well. I know a lot…
Jill Berry
11:39 pm on Tuesday, December 18, 2012
I'm all about keeping the Santa myth alive for as long as possible. My oldest started doubting at 9 or 10. I told her that children who believed in Santa got presents from Santa. That got her thinking. I went on to say that those who didn't believe only got Mommy/Daddy presents on Christmas morning. That did it...Santa presents are SO much better than boring old Mommy/Daddy presents. She was a … more ›