Why do we encourage our children to believe in beings such as Santa and the Tooth Fairy when we inevitably have to tell them the truth, as well as deal with the tears that follow? Or worse, end up being placed in an uncomfortable position when their classmates reveal the big secret they recently learned instead.
When I was younger, my parents actually never tried to play into the idea of either of them. Neither of them were born in America to have a chance to experience similar things, and they simply did not see the point in it. Our family doesn't even do Christmas presents. My parents are quite practical and don't really see the point in buying gifts for each other that we might not end up liking, as opposed to asking or buying something ourselves. I actually began believing in Santa and the Tooth Fairy because my classmates were always talking about it. Surprisingly, I actually didn't believe in Santa as much as I did in the Tooth Fairy. This was due to the fact that I didn't really expect gifts during Christmas, but my surprisingly mom put in a lot of effort to let me believe in the Tooth Fairy.
In the end, my older sister told me the truth anyways. I specifically remember her finally saying, "You know that Santa and the Tooth Fairy aren't real right? It's just mom and dad." I can't really remember what happened afterwards, but I didn't cry or get upset. I think I was figuring it out slowly anyways.
Maybe it's just good to have something fun to believe in. And maybe believing in Santa is just a method of helping parents discipline their children. I'm not too sure how I feel about it yet. I guess it really depends on how you want to parent your children. I've found that sometimes if you've grown up without something, you don't really know what you're missing out on. And it's not necessarily sad, it's just a different experience.
So would you guys have your kids believe in Santa and the Tooth Fairy?
