Every Christmas the Santa Claus debate reopens: should we tell our children Santa exists or would that be lying? At ThePregnancyNet we thought it would be a good idea to look at the reasons behind each side of the argument so that we and all of our readers could understand both sides of the debate.
Why shouldn’t we lie to our children about Santa Claus?
- Lying about Santa begins a vicious cycle of lies and only teaches our children that lying is acceptable.
- For religious families, Santa is not the reason for the season and teaching their kids about him only overshadows what these families truly believe in.
- Santa Claus is the figurehead for the consumerism and commercialisation that has ruined Christmas and made it more about presents than spending time with your family.
- We tell our children Santa only brings gifts to good children. How then do we explain the millions of poor and suffering children around the world who receive nothing every Christmas?
- Through Santa, qe teach our children that they should do good things for their own benefit and not for the common good.
Why is letting our children believe in Santa good for them?
- It activates their imaginations and is a part of their natural cognitive development.
- Believing in Santa and other imaginary and fairy tale beings is a normal part of the innocence and magic of childhood. If we tell our children the truth too soon we force them to grow up too fast and live in our reality before they are ready.
- American and Canadian studies have revealed that most children did not experience any form of trauma when they found out that Santa was not real, therefore it is a harmless lie which only makes Christmas more magical for them.
- Arguments against telling our children the truth about Santa overcomplicate a child’s perception of Santa and our whole world to a level their cognitive development is not yet at. When they reach that stage of their cognitive development they will then begin to question Santa and that is when truth time begins.
- The existence of Santa doesn’t have to be a lie if you emphasise what Santa represents (love, kindness, generosity…)  instead of his physical being.
- Letting our kids believe in Santa is no more of a lie than telling an exhausted person they look great.
Both sides of the Santa debate without a doubt present some strong arguments, but the truth is there is absolutely no scientific evidence that a child’s belief in Santa is either helpful or harmful. Therefore, most child psychologists recommend that you make your own decision about Santa Claus and when your children start to ask questions, encourage them to reach their own conclusions by asking them what they think and why they think those things.
Remember, no parenting style is perfect for every family so don’t feel pressured to do things other people’s way and, of course, have a very merry Christmas!