Why Some Parents Are Insisting on Telling Their Kids Santa Claus Isn't Real This Christmas
These parents are taking a bit of an unconventional approach when it comes to sharing the spirit of the season with their kids.
In chats with the New York Post, several moms and dads explained their reasoning behind unraveling the truth when it comes to the myth of Santa for the sake of their young children.
“It’s disconcerting when people say something is real, and then it’s not real,” Alexandra Fung, a 37-year-old mother of three from Chicago who runs Upparent, told the outlet, recalling how she felt “shocked” and “betrayed” at about the age of 10 when she learned Santa Claus wasn’t visiting her home on an annual basis.
“I want to prioritize the truth,” Fung insisted.
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The inspiration behind the decision made by father of five Courtney Fong not to make Santa a thing in his household had to do with religion — namely, he didn’t want his kids to associate the legend aspect of Santa with whether Jesus was real when they learned of Santa’s true nature.
Fong also pointed out to the Post that he wasn’t a fan of how the idea of Santa made kids work hard and behave well during the year for one reason: the presents.
“What I don’t like about Santa is this idea that you’re only doing things for the reward,” explained the Chicago-based lawyer, 39. “I don’t like the idea of Santa being this all-seeing guy who can see whether you’ve been good or bad and deny gifts based on that reason.”
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A third parent — Michelle, a mom from Portland, Oregon — opined that the entire gift-giving aspect of Santa is “classist” in the sense that some parents can afford a higher number of or more extravagant gifts than others.
“It has always bothered me that we encourage children to believe in Santa Claus knowing that some of their parents simply can’t go all out,” said Michelle, a 30-year-old digital marketer.
She added, “If all children believe in Santa and one kid gets a brand-new iPad from ‘Santa’ and one child simply gets candy, what does that lead that child to believe?”
