is it moral and or rational to teach children and adults that Santa is real? (page 3)

troubled mind

LisaObeesa I LOVE you and how you raised your children ! Mad Sweeney are you serious ? Have you never seen the excitement and joy in a very small child when they talk about Santa and elves ect ???

I think as long as when the child begins asking questions you are honest them it is okay up until then to 'play' out the Santa fantasy . Kids are smarter than we give them credit . They just seem to get it as they mature what is really going on . Once they get to school the 'secret' comes out eventually ,but they also get it that it ias all about FUN and LOVE . What hurts about that ?

maybe it is a good thing if it makes them to appreciate later in life that if something sounds to good to be true ,it probably is ! It may also not make them so gulliable to believe in any invisable creatures affecting their lives ,but rather the principles behind the beliefs .

lisaBObeesa

Thanks, troubled mind!

Snoozy

There is nothing wrong with make believe..I was told about Santa as a child but quickly figured it all out and it didn't affect me negatively..Now being told that someday we will all live in a paradise with animals resting at our feet and we will live forever ,that is a cruel fairy tale..

Snoozy

AwSnap

A child's life is all about fantasy, in my opinion. I will let my baby believe Santa is real, unless she asks. Then I would tell her the truth, but also let her know that it's okay to pretend he's real. Why limit it to Santa? Same goes for Mickey, Minnie, Pluto, Barney, Dora, etc..... let 'em be kids. Just my 2 cents

XJW4EVR

I never taught my children that Santa was real. I taught them about St. Nicholas, the real Christian. I also explained that Santa Claus was not a real person, but a part of American folklore. Of course this was done at age appropriate levels. But the main point was to teach them that Santa Claus was not real.

Now we did enjoy Santa Claus. My children were not raised as JWs and as such I made sure that they had full enjoyment of Christmas. I did make sure that they understood why we celebrated Christmas, namely, the birth of Jesus of Nazareth.

I do not beleive it is moral to teach Santa Claus as a real person. I do not believe I should teach them that. Whether or not it is rational, I would have to think about that more.

trillaz

It helps children learn that adults will lie and encourages them to be better than their parents when they grow up. If kids think their parents are perfect, that may seem too far of a goal to reach.

But there is a complication. "If I became better than my parents after learning they would lie to me, will my kids also do the same?"

The world is not perfect, Lie to and beat your kids and they will be fine.

144001

But the main point was to teach them that Santa Claus was not real.

The main point should be to teach them that Christmas is a wonderful holiday for the family to get together and enjoy.

I did make sure that they understood why we celebrated Christmas, namely, the birth of Jesus of Nazareth.

It's rather ironic that some make a stand against teaching their kids that Santa is real, while at the same time teaching their children that Jesus is real. If you're going to teach your children that Jesus existed, despite the lack of historical evidence to support your claim, why not also teach them that Santa Claus exists? After all, Santa Claus was created by man to help celebrate the birthday of another of man's creations, Jesus.

I do not beleive [sic] it is moral to teach Santa Claus as a real person.

I fail to see the moral difference between teaching your children that Jesus was the son of god, born to a virgin, who performed lots of miracles that history books are entirely devoid of any reference to, and teaching the kids about a fictional character who brings them presents.

Bella15

You know ... when kids grow up they laugh while telling the story of how they discovered Santa was not real ... I think you have to be genetically predisposed (like in loco) to make it such a HUGE issue like Watchtower wants you to believe ... my children now 14 and 13 laugh at each other for believing that Santa was real ... yet it is part of their most precious memories, they realized our love for them because I went to extremes to keep the fantasy for them (just like tooth fairy) ... their eyes and my eyes glisten with joy and love when we go through memory lane ... they will have that loving memory for their rest of their lives. Now that they are teenagers the emphasis of Christmas is that we celebrate the "BIRTH" of Jesus ... who knows the exact"date" Jesus was born, we as Christians, celebrate the fact that our King was born. We don't care what other people or even other Christians do and believe, as for me and my house we celebrate the fact that Jesus was born!

Dear Lord, when you see all the dangers children face in this world, the question should be, Is it moral and/or rational to bring children into this world?

james_woods

I can't think of anything good that comes from presenting a fairy-tale as truth.

I agree, but the teaching of myth as myth (not as reality) has a long history in human educational culture - from the Greek Classics to Hans Christian Anderson to Batman... I wonder how many of the ancient Greek thinkers and early scientists actually believed in the factual reality of the Greek gods? Just as a second thought - isn't it very possible that coming to the realization on their own (at say 4-6 years) that Santa Claus was really their dad dressed up in a red suit a valuable lesson in objective analysis and the application of critical reasoning?

AK - Jeff

Are you saying SANTA is not real?

OMG! My bubble is burst. Who puts all my presents under the tree then? My wife? The kids?

I shall go off and sob now.

Jeff

is it moral and or rational to teach children and adults that Santa is real?

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