Tonight was a bit of a sad night for my husband and I....our sweet 10 year old daughter came to us with a very serious question. She was very sober and serious and I was surprised as she spent her day off from school with a good friend playing barbies and crafting and walking like big girls to the local gas station for a treat....so her unhappy demeanor came as a surprise....until she asked the question..."Is Santa Claus real?"
Now to understand the seriousness of this question you have to understand my daughter. She is a firm believer in Santa and has stood up for him when many kids have tried to convince her that he is not real. She also gets a little anxiety around St. Patrick's Day because the thought of a leprechaun hanging around her classroom making messes while she's at recess freaks her out...we almost spilled the beans last year when she was truly afraid of those little green men and she had a bad dream over the thought of them. She is sweet and innocent and is bugged when her friends no longer want to "play" but just want to "hang out" and watch the Disney Channel...she still wants to play with dolls and dress them and ride bikes and do kid things and that's what I love about her...she is fighting to stay a kid when others can't wait to grow up. Kids these days are being pushed to grow up too fast, to dress much older than they are and they lose their chance to just be a kid. Ok, off of my soapbox and back to our response...
We sat her between us and put our arms around her and her Daddy explained the story of the true St. Nick and what a good person he was and how his legend lives on in how we celebrate Christmas. The giving of gifts and wrapping surprises and the love and excitement of that magical time of year when our Savior was born and that very special night when that dear old man makes every child's dreams come true. We did tell her that her Father and I are now Santa....we also had to explain about the Toothfairy, the elves, the reindeer, the Easter Bunny, the Leprechauns, it all came out tonight....this very night when my little girl had to bid a fond farewell to her childhood friend, Santa Claus.
Oh Christine,
ReplyDeleteI feel so bad for all three of you. It is so not fair and Christmas will never be the same for any of you! Fun, enjoyable, but not the same. To loose this part of childhood just as the kids say now...."SUCKS!"....I am sorry this happened. But at least she got to 10....I know 5 years olds that don't believe....:( Give her a hug for me! I always told my kids that when you stop believing in him, he quits coming....by the way I sitll believe in Santa Claus and the magic of that jolly old man!
OOoooo! Nobody told me this was in the parenting job description! That is so sad! I agree that children are being forced to grow up too fast now and am dragging my heels.
ReplyDeleteThe happy part of this story is now she is in on the "secret" and can make next Christmas very special for her little sister, and that will make her feel important!
ReplyDeleteI am so sorry. I am not looking forward to it with my younger kids. We told the older kids at age 9, like it was part of growing up, which I regret. These younger two though, I just can't make myself do it. Orion is 10 and he BELIEVES. It breaks my heart to think of him ever not believing. So I've told my other kids that they are not to say anything to discourage it and that I have changed my thinking on the subject and if you don't believe you don't receive. So everyone here believes.:)
ReplyDeleteOn a side note, my 16 yr old nephew just found out this year. Weird or not? I just don't know what the answer is. They know about sex, but don't know about Santa.:)