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iwillalwayswonderwhy

(2,660 posts)
Sun Jun 14, 2015, 09:05 PM Jun 2015

So I'm just curious

Did you teach your children about Santa, tooth fairy, Easter bunny et. al. as fact?

I didn't. I saw it in the same light as teaching them Wonder Woman and Superman weren't real. It didn't make sense to think of it other then make-believe.

15 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
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So I'm just curious (Original Post) iwillalwayswonderwhy Jun 2015 OP
I remember when I was a kid.... AlbertCat Jun 2015 #1
Santa no. Easter Bunny no. Tooth fairy? Warren Stupidity Jun 2015 #2
Heresy! n/t. bvf Jun 2015 #4
we taught our kids about Murry The Agent olddots Jun 2015 #3
My parents didn't have a chance Warpy Jun 2015 #5
We taught our kids the stories. trotsky Jun 2015 #6
Yes, all of it. I was raised by atheist parents who let us have that fun, so Arugula Latte Jun 2015 #7
Same here Stuckinthebush Jun 2015 #9
Exactly. Arugula Latte Jun 2015 #10
Yeah, me too. Harmless fun, good memories. mountain grammy Jun 2015 #11
same as we told fairy tales whatthehey Jun 2015 #8
there's no easter bunny? BlueJazz Jun 2015 #12
Learn to notice the impossible gelatinous cube Jun 2015 #13
Welcome to DU gelatinous cube! progressoid Jun 2015 #14
My wife was a bit aghast when I told my six year old that Santa wasn't real. AtheistCrusader Jun 2015 #15
 

AlbertCat

(17,505 posts)
1. I remember when I was a kid....
Sun Jun 14, 2015, 09:18 PM
Jun 2015

I don't have kids, but I remember when I was a kid, Mother did the Santa thing....but made no effort to hide it was really her. I never remember believing Santa actually came, but it was a fun game and the presents that appeared Christmas morning obviously came from my parents.

 

Warren Stupidity

(48,181 posts)
2. Santa no. Easter Bunny no. Tooth fairy?
Sun Jun 14, 2015, 09:27 PM
Jun 2015

Why are you lumping the tooth fairy in with all those ridiculous childhood myths?

Warpy

(113,130 posts)
5. My parents didn't have a chance
Sun Jun 14, 2015, 10:39 PM
Jun 2015

I pulled the beard off a store Santa when I was two. My mother tried giving me the song and dance about Santa's helpers but she said she could tell I wasn't buying it.

When it came to the god stuff, I can remember being afraid not to believe. I was pretty much done when I was ten.

trotsky

(49,533 posts)
6. We taught our kids the stories.
Mon Jun 15, 2015, 08:44 AM
Jun 2015

But we never presented them as true. Your comparison to superheroes is very apt, never thought of it like that but yes, that does sum it up pretty well!

The really destructive part of the Santa myth (when presented as real), I think, teaches kids early on that since rich kids get so much more for presents, they must be better than poor kids. That's the "prosperity gospel" foundation right there. Nasty shit.

 

Arugula Latte

(50,566 posts)
7. Yes, all of it. I was raised by atheist parents who let us have that fun, so
Mon Jun 15, 2015, 12:29 PM
Jun 2015

I wanted my kids to have it too. The kids loved the whole thing. It was nice for them to have a bit of "magic" in their early life. They're teens now and said they were glad they had Santa et al. They don't feel betrayed; they understand why we did it.

Stuckinthebush

(11,017 posts)
9. Same here
Tue Jun 16, 2015, 09:39 AM
Jun 2015

It allowed them to participate in the fun. Then, as they became older and figured it out we would give them the aw shucks look and they understood. The problem isn't in the fantasy, the problem is when no one ever tells the kids that the fantasy wasn't reality. Such is the case with Jesus and God.

whatthehey

(3,660 posts)
8. same as we told fairy tales
Mon Jun 15, 2015, 12:39 PM
Jun 2015

as entertainment. There was no more implication that Santa actually brought presents than that Rumplestiltskin would actually appear ready to teach auric weaving. I have no patience with those who suggest that there is no room for childhood "magic" or imagination without making up impossible crap and pretending it's true. There's plenty of imagination and magic in fairy tales and myths of all kinds without lying about their truth values.

gelatinous cube

(50 posts)
13. Learn to notice the impossible
Thu Jun 25, 2015, 08:40 PM
Jun 2015

My father is an atheist and always has been, but he raised my sister on Santa Claus the Tooth Fairy, etc. But he only ever told us the stories, he never claimed they were true. Whenever I asked him if Santa was real, he asked me what I thought. He never gave me an answer, he made me find the truth for myself (note this was before I discovered Google).
This was probably one of the strongest lessons he has ever taught me, but he never had to explain: don't let other people tell you the truth when you are capable of finding the true answer on your own. This is what we should be teaching our children. Don't tell them what you think, no matter how valid it is, instead show them how to find the truth on their own.

AtheistCrusader

(33,982 posts)
15. My wife was a bit aghast when I told my six year old that Santa wasn't real.
Fri Jun 26, 2015, 12:12 PM
Jun 2015

But you know what, if he's mature enough to ask, he's mature enough to know the truth.

He still likes the version of Santa in Rise of the Guardians. The Russian with the naughty/nice lists tattooed as sleeves down his arms.

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