some food for thought? this question may offend?

Question

this question may offend some of us,,, it is primarly for Christians , but for all,
we tell our children there is santaclause, and tooth ferry and easter bunny,,
when our children find out that there is not any of these , there is no wander they dont believe us when we try to tell them about Jesus.
Its just anouther storry to them,,
the question is ,do you think we are makeing a big mistake telling them such things?
are we not training them up to be athiest ?
can we not see this?
can you imagine how devastating it must be to our kids when they find out its all a lie?
and last , how can we expect them to believe a word we say after such a lie ?
will they not lose all confidence in us?
i know there will be alot of people that may defend this , and say our kids are only children once,but this is the years that are most important to plant a seed of truth in them, and to show our kids that mommy and daddy will tell them the truth,,,,,do you agree?

Answer 1

I totally agree, I wasn't told there were fictitious people or beings. I knew exactly where the gifts, candy and other stuff came from.
I raise my children the same way, I never want them to think I have lied to them, I want them to know they can trust me.

Answer 2

Do we also tell them the truth about death even if they are too young to understand it? (dog ran over buy a car or went to live on a farm.) or at what age do we start telling them the truth of such things.

But your original question, my kids will think there is a santa claus becuse it will be somthing they will enjoy for a number of years. I am a devout Christian and I was raised in a house with the idea of santa. Give your kids credit for being smarter than to think that if you told them Santa was real and was not that God must not be real.

Answer 3

You are obviously aware that there is no Santa Claus, or Easter Bunny, or Tooth Fairy, and you still believe in Jesus.

What is so different about you that is not in children today?

Are you now damaged goods because of it?

Do you feel that it has impacted your faith in God and Jesus in such a way that you question your own faith?

Have a little faith in the children too.

They are not as fragile as you seem to believe, any more than you were. They are only children once. You will be causing more damage by not letting them participate in holidays that their friends are all a part of.

Be honest with them in the things that matter. When my son was young and he bumped his chin on the side of the pool and I had to take him to the emergency room, he asked me, Mom, will I have to get stitches. I told him yes but that the doctor would numb the area first. He was spastic about it, and the doctor told me that I should not have told him before hand. I told that doctor that he only had to deal with my son for thirty minutes, and that it would not matter as much if he lied to my son, but I have to deal with him for the rest of his life, he has to know that I will be straight with him. And to this day, my children all know that if they want a straight answer, I will always give it to them.

Give your children a little credit. It will go a long way.

Answer 4

I agree with you 100%.
You describe exactly what happened to me.
I was devastated. It shook my faith on all matters.

I think children have a blast on Halloween and know that the next door neighbor is not really a witch. Why can't they have fun pretending Santa Claus is coming, but knowing he's not real?

Finally, Santa brings you things if you're good. What is it teaching your child if they receive more toys than the less fortunate? You're covertly saying, "you're better than those less fortunate." I think it's damaging.

I love the magic of childhood. I'm raising my kids to have a profound sense of wonder. The world of truth is full of more wonder than a world of lies.

Answer 5

Santa, enamel fairy and bunny aren't truly and on no account had been truly characters. Their motive is simply to pleasure the kids. Children recognise that Santa can't have compatibility down a chimney, that a bunny can't convey a basket or that a enamel fairy might be inclined to side with cash for soiled tooth. Jesus used to be a truly guy that may be validated with historial and biblical data. There is indisputably that he used to be born and that he died. The query among religions is whether or not is used to be the son of god or now not. Personnally, I believe we do extra damage looking to make kids into miniature adults lengthy earlier than they're capable to receive the tough truths. And the interval that Jesus died in used to be filled with horror studies of torture and homicide. So, no, I do not agree that letting kids think in fairy stories is damaging.

Answer 6

What needs to be implanted in childhood is the seed that grows into an understanding that the search for truth must be based in reason.

The big lie that many Christians teach their children is "The Greatest Story Ever SOLD",thus, the Jesus story.

It is one thing to tell the Jesus story as a story and for children to accept
it on faith. It becomes a BIG LIE when it is sold to kids as fact.

Just because the bible says it, does not in any way ,shape or form make
it truth in the brain. It can never be more than heartfelt faith.

Answer 7

personally, i believed in Santa, the tooth fairy, etc until i was 7 and then an older & mean cousin made sure i was aware of the "truth". i only remember feeling dissappointment that i could no longer believe because christmas was never the same again. I never felt my parents were trying to deceive me, I understood even at such a young age that they only tried to make christmas more fun for me and themselves.
BTW: that never deterred me from my belief & faith in God or His son, Jesus.

Answer 8

I grew up believing in Santa Clause. I did not think anything about it when I found out the truth. I was 6. I continued the ruse for my younger siblings. It was fun. It didn't scar me for life. I felt wise and enjoyed sharing the secret with my parents. It didn't hinder my faith. I just chalked it up to holiday fun. I loved Jesus from an early age and I still do.
I chose not to pass that bit of whimsy on to my own child. I couldn't afford it at the level that my parents did for me and my five siblings. So I told him the true Christmas story and bought him one reasonable gift he desired. I said I was doing it to commemorate the loving gesture of the gifts of the Magi to the Christ child. He understood and our Christmases were just as wonderful.
Children are not stupid. They enjoy fantasy and whimsy. When they get older they don't resent it. I think they rather appreciate the gesture of happiness. I did.

Answer 9

I am a child... preteen... and i already knew about santa claus and tooth fairy stuff being fake since I was 7. We children don't lose confidence, in fact it makes us feel like we've gone past the baby stage and are growing into something more important. Most of all don't ruin it for your kids, let them figure it out, and laugh about it. I mean seriously.. how does an old man ride a flying sleigh across the world in one night? :)

Answer 10

I agree. Touche! Very apt observation. We should tell them the truth that it is just a legend or fantasy. It would make them believe us more later in life.