This is just for children to have fun, like participating in a fairy tale, it was silly trying to convince little children that Santa Claus doesn't exist, they will eventually grow out of it of themselves as they get older. Until then let them have fun.
Tears, Outrage After Teacher Denies Santa Claus's Existence...
by Elsewhere 41 Replies latest jw friends
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willowmoon
under, there's NOTHING wrong with kids having dreams and little make believe stories --- I agree, it's important to the development of their imaginations and good to stimulate creativity.
They also need to understand what is PRETEND and what's REALITY. It's up to the adults to teach them this, and not perpetuate what amounts to a lie in the child's eyes.
We don't encourage them to believe Bugs Bunny is real do we? Why should the fantasy of santa claus or any other imaginary character be any different?
It's funny isn't it, the differences? I understand your feeling about your childhood --
to that point though, Id rather have been taught to believe in God, not imaginary icons that offered nothing except materialism and dishonesty, and an unrealistic view of the world and the adults in it.willow
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under74
"They also need to understand what is PRETEND and what's REALITY."
willow, they figure this all out on their own. No one discouraged me from thinking bugsbunny wasn't real...I figured it out. I also didn't have people telling demons were make believe but trust me...even though adults were around drilling demon stories in my head, at a certain point I knew it wasn't logical or real.
PS- I believe god is as realistic as santa... or rather god is another "imaginary icon" just like santa.This doesn't mean I have to spoil people's fun, does it? Especially when they are little kids, right? -
Dansk
It's about time children were accepted as such and not treated as little adults! Fairy tales and the likes of Father Christmas are what triggers the imagination and result in some of our greatest literary geniuses. Imagination is fundamental to such literary accomplishments and to rob a child of that potential is like robbing the soul.This is another sad story. The teacher probably meant well but failed to grasp what being a child is all about. The innocence of a child is what we should all be aiming for and to have that innocence destroyed in such a fashion is cruel - but, as I said, perhaps the teacher just didn't think!
With all the terrible things going on in the world Father Christmas is something refreshing and magical to a child (and to me, if I'm honest).
Long live Santa!
Ian
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tetrapod.sapien
i agreee. let the kids have a little fun....
growing up and realizing you were lied to as a child is a fact of life. everyone goes through it. always has been, always will be.
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willowmoon
The fun is only there until the child realizes they've been taught to believe in something false and imaginary -- then goes a little deeper because of the teaching that the child must be 'good' in order to get the gifts, so there's another destructive factor in the mix.
I agree, they do figure out the santa lie themselves... at the same time, they figure out the deceit of the adults who encouraged them to believe it was real.
There are plenty of wonderful, innocent activities that trigger the imaginations of children.
Ian, sorry, but honestly I fail to see what is so magical about christmas..... but we know that's another whole discussion!
I think the teacher DID think, and did the right thing by being honest to herself and the kid.
Long live Ian!
willow
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blondie
I have run into other religious groups that do not believe in teaching Santa to their kids and would not do it if they were a teacher. But that doesn't mean they have to unteach Santa. They could have chosen another story that did not comment on Santa. I live in an area that is not particularly religious in comparison with some southern states and they leave Santa out of the picture too.
Even though I personally don't believe there is a Santa, I would never tell someone else's child that; I would have them go to their parents. Anyway six year old is pretty much on that cutting edge of hanging onto the Santa belief, too many other children the same age and older, ready to burst the bubble.
Blondie
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oldflame
I am not a liar, and teaching our children that a fat man in a red suit comes down a chimeny with flying reindeer is a lie. Now I will not make a purpose of telling children that santa is not true but if asked I will tell them that , that story is a make believe and not something that is true. I never did tell my kids there was a santa because I remember when I learned that there was no santa. I was crushed.
I don't know what this teacher intentions were but if she was asked about santa and she told the truth then I can not hold anything against this person for being honest.
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under74
No, but see willow...one of my nephews is 12 and believed until he was 10 that santa exixted. He figured out on his own that there was no such thing BUT thinks it's cool that his little brother and sister believe it and is working on a little plot for tonight--because he said his younger brother deserved "a little more time" to believe.
It's not always a huge disappointment for kids (so long as uptight subsitute teachers aren't involved with 1st graders). Sometimes they just figure it out and end up thinking it was nice to have believed in it for a little while. I just think they should be given that time to believe whatever crazy imaginary stuff they can, they won't be crushed if their just let to grow out of it.
Although I'm with Ian...long live santa! It's a nice thing to believe in...a guy going around giving kids presents without payment. That's the christmas spirit, isn't it? -
greendawn
The Santa Claus story can't be called a lie it's a fairy tale like Cinderella or Snow White and the seven dwarfs or Barbie, it's all part of growing up. Did a child ever get harmed by fairy tales? They will soon realise that they are imaginary characters and get on with the real world.