I have a very matter of fact five year old. Everything is black and white to her and she is very confident in the way she conveys her point of view. Gosh, I have NO IDEA where she got that! *grin*
Generally we just try to encourage tact in her and leave it at that. We've got a new problem now that it's Christmas. Santa's dead. He is. The man who started(and would no doubt be appalled by)the whole gift giving lunacy is no longer living. I did not tell her this, mind you, her brother did. We have never practiced the tradition/myth/whatever that Santa is. Ian was always so good about being very tactful and thought it was great fun that we knew a secret that the rest of the kids did not, Santa's not real. At some point he must have asked me why so many parents pretend he is with their children and I explained to him about Saint Nicholas, the man who was generous and kind to the poor, giving them anonymous gifts many many years ago. Well, Audrey isn't taking this all in quite the same way he did and despite his attempts at explanation all she has retains is, "Santa's dead." Oy.... Thankfully, she's not in school or I would no doubt receive many irrate phone calls from parents. We do have many friends and family who practice the tradition of Santa and I'd feel just awful if she went around telling her matter of fact news to their children. She laughs at the Santas in the mall. If they happen to see her, they think that she is excited to see them. In reality, she thinks they look ridiculous and are simply grown men playing dress up in the mall. If only they knew.
So, what do you do? Does "Santa" visit your home? If not, how do you keep your children, particularly the young ones, quiet and tactful about his lack of existence?
4 comments:
We don't do the "Santa game" here either. I have strong opinions about it. ;) My kids haven't always been tactful, and yes I have received phone calls from people (one a Christian school teacher) who felt I should make them be tactful. I asked them, "You want my child to LIE?" The way they worded it, it sure sounded like that's what they were asking. It was frustrating. I'm glad were' hs'ing now and avoiding some of that. :) I received a Focus on the Family magazine the other day which included an article about lies we tell our children. It specifically mentioned the "tooth fairy." It made some VERY good points (my favorite was the lie "You can be anything you want to be"...actually you have a special purpose and plan by God, and I never thought of it that way.). My heart sank as I turned just a couple pages later and read Dr. Dobson's defense of playing the Santa game, essentially arguing why it's ok. We do trees, decorations, presents, carols, advent, the true Christmas story, all of that...but no Santa. I love Christmas and I love giving, but I love more keeping the focus where it belongs. So we try very hard to keep our holiday Christ-centered.
By the way, I am praying for you and the placenta previa. If it must be stubborn to stay, then I pray that your baby girl will cook all the way to the end of your pg with no bleeding/dilating! (((Hugs)))
Oh my word, I am laughing because I can just hear Audrey saying that!!
We don't do the Santa thing, but he isn't banned from our house, either. We watch Christmas movies with Santa and read books with Santa, etc. The kids know that he is pretend, just like Mickey Mouse or SpongeBob.
We have explained to them how some families play the Santa game, and that they are not allowed to ruin other kids' fun by spilling the beans. So far, so good. We'll see how they do this year.
It's a fine line. I DON'T want them lying to other kids, but at the same time I don't want them spilling the beans if other families choose differently than we do. Unfortunately lots of kids are completely obsessed with Santa and presents so they naturally talk about it constantly and I hate for my kids to be in a bad position because of it. Maybe we'll just stay home until Christmas. ;)
Good to know that it won't be an issue with your kids, Tanya. Although Teya is pretty strong willed too. I'm sure she'd give Audrey a piece of her mind if she told her something she didn't agree with. ;)
Hee hee....the only thing that Teya has ever said to other adults and children is "Oh, Santa doesn't come to our house." It's funny how people just don't know how to react to that one......and kids just look at her with a blank stare.
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