Lucy Devine
When should you tell your kids that Santa isn't real?
It can be a tricky topic for many parents, but one mum has been criticised after she told her daughter the truth about Santa - and others were not impressed.
The mum explained on Reddit that she and her partner had decided to teach their two-year-old that Father Christmas isn't real, but ever since she broke the news, they've been accused of 'ruining Christmas'.
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“My husband wasn't raised to believe in Santa and I learned at a young age that Santa wasn't real and I had to spend an awkward few years pretending that I believed in Santa because I thought my parents would be upset that I didn't believe in Santa anymore,” she began. “We don’t want to lie to our kid.”
While the mum says she explained to her daughter that it was important not to ruin it for other children, friends and family have not been supportive.
“They have accused us of ruining Christmas for her and that Christmas isn't magical if she doesn't believe in Santa,” she said.
“I even caught someone telling my daughter that Santa is real and we are just lying.
“I've also had family get upset when they asked my daughter if she was excited for Santa to come she told them that "Daddy come soon" (he was gone at work at the time, they then asked her if she was excited for Santa to bring her gifts and she said 'Daddy do it'.
"[...] I can make Christmas feel "magical" to her without her believing in some made up character. I've kind of felt a lot of pressure to give in and let her think Santa is real but I don't know if I should give in.”
Reddit had a lot of thoughts on the topic, with many divided.
Some said they felt the girl would be 'missing out', with one writing: “I think believing in Santa was an awesome experience of childhood, kind of added a bit of magic."
While another added: “I do feel like it’s an aspect of Christmas they'll miss out on because it’s fun to make cookies for Santa with your parents and leave out 'reindeer food' in the front yard for kids. And thinking about Santa and the elves is fun for young kids."
Others were adamant that it was totally the parents' decision, however, with another writing: "How can you ruin something she didn’t have any preconceived notions of? You’re the parent. You decide. Santa isn’t what makes Christmas special anyways, it’s everything else like family, decorating, baking, etc...”
What do you think?