should we teach kids to beilve in santa?

Hey ! Whaddaya mean there's no Santa !?!

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We're depriving children of their imagination by not forcing them to believe in a fat man that want's to crawl down your chimney and give you presents?? That's just distorting childrens view of the real world, and what life is really like.

I think we deprive kids of their imagination when we let them watch 4 hours of TV a day, and ignore their actual interests. Santa Clause has nothing to do with imagination, does it? Last time I checked, children develop their creativity and become more independent by exploring their interests (basically having any sort of creative outlet)

You deprive a kid when you lead them astray frorm the truth. They'll never know any other world, and I'm sure that in the long run, they'll be much better of if they're able to stomach the truth at a young age. Basically, a kids going to grow up into the kind of person you raise them to be. That doesn't mean their lives should be without any kind of fictional flare. You have to know when and how to seperate reality from the ficticious. And more importantly you've got to make sure the kids now how to differentiate. I was very insulted when my parents tried to convince of the existence of any toothfairy. That's what's wrong nowadays. Parent's don't know how to take care of their kids.

 

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Elbaz, have you ever heard of teen rebellion? Kids often grow up to be the exact opposite of their parents. Didn't you?
So if you want your kids to be like you, then raise them as your parents raised you. But if you want something better for them, then use your own parental ability.
I don't think the Santa story makes any real difference to a childs imagination, there is so much else out there to trigger it. It's just that christmas is a social and traditional event, with a fairytale concept to it. So it gives the child a chance to interact with other children, who believe the same thing, which thickens the mystery. But as you said, some children just don't buy it, and are quite offended that the parents are even trying to pull such a prank on them.
That just proves that children are individuals too.

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Q:

Psst - there's no God either.

(BAD ATHIEST! BAD!)

Elbaz: Well said, very well said.

 

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Believe in Santa Claus !!!
The tradition of giving gifts in the winter feast began in ancient Rome.
Saint Nicholas lived many centuries ago.
Because of his deeds Saint Nicholas became the patron saint of children.
The spirit of Saint Nicholas, and the tradition of the winter feast
were handed down to Santa Claus.
You say that Santa Claus is just a joke,
You say that Santa Claus conflicts with your beliefs.
Santa Claus has nothing to do with capitalism and marketing.
Santa Claus has nothing to do with shopping malls and parking.
You see the man in the bright red suit and say he isn't real.
If you take the time to learn who Santa was, and believe in who he is,
You'll understand it's not the man you see that counts,
but the feelings that you feel.
Santa Claus is real,
as real as a warm fireplace on a cold winter night.
as real as a smile that turns darkness into light.

Santa Claus is real,

as real as the spirit to give rather than to receive,
as real as human nature and the Will to Believe.

To believe in Santa Claus is to believe in childhood and charity.
To believe in Santa Claus is to be at peace with how you feel.
To believe in Santa Claus is to believe in the simplicity of love
and the complexity of human nature.
So if you do not believe in Santa,
then I guess you just don't understand,
The spirit of giving and the warmth of a child's smile,
is what makes us real.

This poem comes from an internet site dealing with Santa Clause.

The origins of Santa Clause go back to a fellow named Nicholas who lived in the fourth century. Two hundred years after his death, Justinian, (a Roman Emeror) built a church in his honor.

The reason I bring this up is that it is not a modern tradition but one that starts long ago.

The True Story Of Santa Clause

If you plan to raise a child within the christian belief then it is hard for a child to grasp the intangable meaning of God. Children start learning that Santa Clause is not real around the ages of 8-10. To them that is a godlike figure. It is easier after the child has learned "god mode" concept through Santa Clause. In essence it is a bait and switch tactic.

If your child is not raised as a christian but of another faith, then Santa Clause does not usually have the same meaning. This is in a large part where children learn at school that there is no Santa Clause. Whether you raise your child into a religion our not the concept of Santa is useful in them learning how to deal with intangable topics that can not be seen to be grasped. As children of this age it is not an easy task.

I still stand by the thought that a child should know the joys of Christmas. I fondly remember the days of believing that Santa was real. Of leaving cookies and milk on the table, of trying to get to sleep so Santa would hurry. I remember the mornings of Christmas when the family was asleep and stumbling into the living room where the Christmas tree was and looking to see if Santa had been there. These feelings are not things to be bought. They are precious to me and they always will be. They are revisited every time I see a Santa or a little boy or girl with the bright eyes of wonder when they first see the Christmas tree on Christmas morning.

 

Yes, that feeling of magic and wonder.

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You need to deceive yourself and your children to see the beauty in the world?

Wet1, open your eyes! It's all around you. No need to make things up. Reality is....or can be...stunningly gorgeous.

Why make up false stories about the wonder of the universe when one can simply percieve it?

Why decieve in order to feel wonder when reality is so wonderfull?

BTW, I did enjoy the snide condescension of your post.

 

Sure it's a good feeling, I won't try and dispute that. I felt good looking under my pillow and finding 5 - 10 bucks from the so called "tooth fairy". But it would have been just as good if my parents gave me the money straight up.

Similarly, I'd expect kids to get the same feeling if their parent's
gave present's straight up at christmas, to show that it was the parent's who cared about them as opposed to some fat guy at the north pole who has a fetish for chimneys. I'm not saying that you shouldn't raise kids that way if you honestly feel it's the best. They're your kids. But personally, I would never teach kids that kind of Garbage, and would recommend that nobody else teaches it either.

Oh ya,

Wet1, lets not forget what nostalgia is "a secret, wrapped in a lie, dipped in a dream." -- some TV Show

 

While most anything will fire the young one's imagination, I think it much more fun when the kids can talk to other kids about the same thing away from the parents. It adds a certain mystique to it.

Nostalgia does have it value. We can look back at where we were. Maybe not always good but there anyways.

I do not think less of you Elbaz, that you choose a different way to raise children. Who knows, maybe you are right, maybe not.

While it was not aimed that way, make of it what you will...

 

Siding with Wet1

Imagination is the greatest thing for a child, they think so much. It's all a part of growing up, the creativity. I once believed in a "Boogie Monster" LOL, those were fun days to look back on...now, what if a kid never had this kind of imagination? What would he look back on and laugh at? The silly things? The joy he felt when he saw Santa?

All kids imagine things, to strip them completely of this is not a good idea.

 

But Xev, if you don't multiply, the Atheist race is doomed to extinction!

Not that other Atheists won't mate, but it's symbolic. Imagine this: if everybody thought the way you do and no Atheists had children, then the Atheist race would be extinct before the Great Awakening!

Doesn't that sound a little... erm... upsetting? LoL plus I can just imagine yours and Tyler's kids going around telling other kids how Santa is a fake and God doesn't exist XD

Generally I've found that it's easier for me to take truths if I hear them from my parents first (this has been true ever since I was very young) The news tells you only parts of stories that they expect you don't know, they don't tell you things that seem obvious. One night when I was about 7, I was watching the news on TV when there was a short story about a woman in Kansas who'd died taking in her sleep in the mid afternoon. When the babysitter came, her young son wouldn't let her in because he thought she was sleeping. I became very upset and scared, until my mother told me that this woman had been on drugs. The thing is, if you tell your little Xevettes and Tyler Jr.'s before others tell them, the truth will hurt less because you can address their fears, while other people might just say the part of the story that'll hurt them without telling them the part that will give them peace of mind.

Xev: you need to have children, if you don't, the world won't have any people like you after you die

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It's often like this. That the older you get , the more you appreachiate the sillyness of life and imagination. Those who have just left childhood try very hard to be grown up and overly rational about the world, which for them involves leaving sillyness and imagination behind for a while.
But they will eventually grow older too...and more silly.

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Bebelina: this is because these young people appreciate every chunk of maturity they get, however once you're 100% mature, maturity seems sour instead of sweet. Depending on your goal in life, maturity can be good or it can be bad.

 

GB-Gil:

"Xev: you need to have children, if you don't, the world won't have any people like you after you die

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"

That's sweet of you to say. Waaaaaah!

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Edit to note that most would esteem the lack of little Xevs to be a good thing.

 

ha-ha-ha

Guys will be so scared of her...they'll never want to bed with her, they'll keep thinking, "I'm I worthy of her??"

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She is the uber-Xevsch!! And I'm the one that's gonna take her off that silly throne given to her by other "males"

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But anyway, young GB-GIL Trans-global has some atheist pride growing...

 

Chosen:

Ja, I need another who is worthy of me.

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(Chosen, you're taking me seriously. That's generally a bad idea)

Naw. I'm not an uber-Xevsch. A herald of the lightning is Xevrathrusra, but the lightning is the uber-Xevsch.

And ah, no, you aren't.

No, he's too young now. But someday he'll have his pride of athiests with like, a bunch of athiestic supermodels and etc.

 

...or a bunch of ugly nerd girls.

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(not to say all nerds are ugly. btw Xev, you didn't post your picture yet... oh yeah I need to post mine too)

 

I've been with many women and the intelligent ones are far the most attractive...honest to God. It's alot more meaningful to talk to intelligent women...the airheads talk about rumors, other people, etc. - it's gets old and very very irritating and non-constructive

Of course I'm not taking you seriously Xev-xev

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hahahaha

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Folks,

If we could return to topic...

 

Wet1:

NO!!!

Chosen: Good boy. Xevrathrusra's wisdom might be a bit beyond you....I don't think so though.

GB-Gil: Or a bunch of really hot nerd girls.