Should we encourage the belief?

Yes.

/discussion

I don't see why not?

Yes.

/discussion

Agreed.

I'm still angry at my brother for telling me Santa's not real. 20 years ago.

Sure, they figure out the truth pretty quick

We don't do Santa, Easter Bunny, Tooth Fairy, etc at my house. We explain to the kids that those are wonderful stories, but they are not true.
I don't want to lie to my kids. Santa is the first major lie we tell them, over and over.
In all reality, Santa is no more real the Buzz Lighyear.

Just my 2 cents.

I don't see why not?

My kids belive in Santa. But they also know that the really cool presents come from their Father and I. Santa usually brings some lame educational toy

We don't do Santa, Easter Bunny, Tooth Fairy, etc at my house. We explain to the kids that those are wonderful stories, but they are not true.
I don't want to lie to my kids. Santa is the first major lie we tell them, over and over.
In all reality, Santa is no more real the Buzz Lighyear.

Just my 2 cents.

^^ This is certainly a legitimate approach, and I see its benefits, though I do not do it myself. We have encouraged our children to believe in Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny and the Tooth Fairy so they have those memories when they get older. In addition to it being just plain fun, it's also one of those mysteries that gives them a chance to slowly solve something on their own. As a result, I think it helps them develop their critical thinking skills. I know that may sound crazy, but the more I interact with my kids, the more I'm seeing that joking around with them, making up little stories, and whatnot, actually teaches them to think. My 7 year old and I often kid around like that, and she tries hard to figure out when I'm fibbing. We turn it into a chance for her to research a subject and learn. She's starting to get it when it comes to Santa, etc. and I just ask her "what do you think" when she asks me if they are real.

Yes...it's so much fun to watch them. My almost 3 year old was so excited this year about sitting on Santa's lap...Santa coming to the house...Santa eating the cookies and milk he left behind. Not to mention Christmas morning with some nice gifts from mom and dad under the tree, but all the awesome things he asked Santa for right there next to the fire place. Just the look on his face Christmas morning was friggin' priceless.

I say let them have their fun...they'll figure it out soon enough. More of their lives than not will ultimately be spent unable to believe in such things as magic...6-8 years isn't going to hurt 'em any.

NOT POSTING THIS PIC TO MOCK ANYONES BELIEVES. JUST TO MAKE A POINT

Everyone have their own believes. If somebody wants their kids to believe in Santa, whats the harm?

Totally agree. One belief in something harmless, though meaningful should not be looked at negatively.

I never had Christmas as a child but the whole Santa claüs , tooth fairy thing seems something nice for children to have from what I've seen.

My folks didn't do the make believe stuff either. I kind of liked having a secret that no other kids knew about, but with my own kids, I went the route of fantasy.

Of course, life is so hard when you get older. They should have a little time to believe in magic. It fosters the imagination.

No, I don't plan to lie to my children. Santa isn't a little white lie you tell them to not hurt them, it's a deliberate deception. You might think it's harmless but it's really not. All your children learn from it is that you don't always tell them the truth, they can't always trust you.

Sure, it's probably fun for them, but totally not worth it in my opinion. There are plenty of other ways to have fun with them.


I have a degree in psychology with a specialization in child and adolescent development.

We have always done Santa and the Easter Bunny and our son "knew" about the Tooth Fairy. Anyhow, the night before Easter when he was 4 he said, "What time are you hiding the eggs Mommy?" I laughed and said, "You don't think the Easter Bunny is real?" And he said, "I wish that he was." So we kind of hung onto that for the last two years for Santa. This year he has already said that he thinks it is ridiculous that a bunny would bring eggs. He is 6 1/2 now and finally lost his first two bottom teeth. Right off the bat he said he thought that the parents took the tooth and put the money under the pillow so we aren't pushing that one. He's hanging on to Santa though, so we will let him. A girl in his class told him Santa wasn't real after Christmas and I asked him what he thought and he said that he thought she was wrong and that he was real and I said that if he wanted to believe that was ok. We try to keep it fun, but realistic if that makes any sense!

Edit: We only let him ask Santa for 3 things (keeps things affordable for us) and he understands that the bulk of his gifts come from Mommy and Daddy.

Of course, life is so hard when you get older. They should have a little time to believe in magic. It fosters the imagination.

^^ Exactly what I said! i agree!