Parents long ago stood in long lines with their children to see Santa

[Guest man]

 

 

I'm not saying a child isn't allowed to use their imaginations. What I'm saying is, if a parent purposely misleads a child into believing a fictional character is in fact real, that parent is lying to that child. The parent is urging that child to believe in something that isn't real. They are lying to their child. The intent of the parent is to get the child to believe something that isn't true. It doesn't matter what the object is, if you're trying to convince someone that something exists when you know it doesn't, that's called lying.

 

Why is that so hard to understand?

 

 

What I am trying to get across, is that for a child to believe Santa is real, does not take a parent misleading. If they hear the story, the fairytale, they will believe. The question is, do you allow them to believe, or do you try to squash the belief. Do you go along with it, or try to stop it. It is not lying to go along with a natural part of a childs development. It would be lying if you did things to make that developmental stage go beyond it natural progression. To keep a child believing beyond that stage, would require lying, and tricks to keep them thinking fairytales are true. But, there is no lying, when it is a part of natural development in children.  

 

 

 

Do you see it now?

[Guest man]

Go ahead and pick apart.   The point is that I gave the example because I knew that without the example my words could be taken wrong.   So you decide to spin my comments the wrong way anyway.  You purposely and knowingly accused me falsely of something I didn't intend.  Yeah, so go ahead and try to pick it apart.

 

 

 

 

No.   It would cross the line into a lie if the parents attempt to convince a child that Santa is real after the child has figured out that Santa isn't real.  If they try to perpetuate the Santa myth at the point when it is time to stop, then it crosses the line.

 

My Dad once tried to dress up as a monster to have a little fun with me when I was a kid. Once I figured out it was him, the jig was up and he had to stop.  Had he continued and endeavored to convince me that he really was who he was portraying and intentionally convinced me of that, then it would have been an act of deception.

 

Santa Claus and Rudolph are make believe and children and parents play along because it's fun.  That's it. 

 

 

 

 

What is "the jig" and why did it have "to stop"?

 

I contend the "jig" is your dad's intentional deception and it had to stop because you knew he was being deceitful towards you.

[LadyKay]

 

 

 

if the child believes it's the actual Cinderella from the book, then yes, they are lying.

Seriously? Are we now going to argue about Cinderella?

 

 

I want to thank you for that.       Calling someone a loser is really something to be proud of.  

 

What? I didn't call anyone a loser? What the same hill are you talking about? I didn't call anyone anything! I don't know what the heck is going on here. But I know I do not want to be a part of it. I have enough people accusing me of things I didn't do, I don't need it to happen here as well. 

[Guest man]

 

 

 

 

if the child believes it's the actual Cinderella from the book, then yes, they are lying.

Seriously? Are we now going to argue about Cinderella?

 

 

I want to thank you for that.       Calling someone a loser is really something to be proud of.  

 

What? I didn't call anyone a loser? What the same hill are you talking about? I didn't call anyone anything! I don't know what the heck is going on here. But I know I do not want to be a part of it. I have enough people accusing me of things I didn't do, I don't need it to happen here as well. 

 

 

 

If you don't know what this (   ) means, you shouldn't be using it. But I believe you do know what it means because you had to seek it out in order to use it. And if you don't want to be a part of something, don't throw yourself in the middle of it. 

[Qnts2]

 

 

 

I'm not saying a child isn't allowed to use their imaginations. What I'm saying is, if a parent purposely misleads a child into believing a fictional character is in fact real, that parent is lying to that child. The parent is urging that child to believe in something that isn't real. They are lying to their child. The intent of the parent is to get the child to believe something that isn't true. It doesn't matter what the object is, if you're trying to convince someone that something exists when you know it doesn't, that's called lying.

 

Why is that so hard to understand?

 

 

What I am trying to get across, is that for a child to believe Santa is real, does not take a parent misleading. If they hear the story, the fairytale, they will believe. The question is, do you allow them to believe, or do you try to squash the belief. Do you go along with it, or try to stop it. It is not lying to go along with a natural part of a childs development. It would be lying if you did things to make that developmental stage go beyond it natural progression. To keep a child believing beyond that stage, would require lying, and tricks to keep them thinking fairytales are true. But, there is no lying, when it is a part of natural development in children.  

 

 

 

Do you see it now?

 

No.

 

I'll repeat. To believe in fairytales is a natural part of a development stage for young children. If a young child betieves that Santa is real, it is because they have heard the story, and talked to other children their age, and/or seen a Santa in a store or mall. The parents haven't lied. Or mislead. It is natural. It is also a wonderous stage for children, and a parent can go with it, or try to stop it. Since this is a normal development stage, I do not think the parents should try to stop it, but let it take its natural course for the sake of the childs development.

 

If you are concerned about your child believing in Santa, never tell them about him. Or don't celebrate Christmas. I personally prefer that as many Christians as possible would celebrate Christmas and make sure that Christmas is about Jesus.

 

I did not grow up celebrating Christmas, or being taught about Santa, so I never believed. But there were other fairytales I probably thought were true simply because, that is the developmental stage of small children. I did not have any issues as I grew out of the stage and stopped believing in fairytales.

 

Accusing parents of young children as being liars or deceivers is simply not understanding children and their development with only one exception. Parents who attempt to prolong that stage, because parents think it is fun.  

[other one]

I don't understand how people can defend being deceitful to little kids as OK........   for any reason.

 

Playing the Santa Game might be ok as long as they know up front it's a game....  My Bible says you'll go to hell for lying....   and I would think even just for the fun of it.

[Guest man]

 

 

 

 

I'm not saying a child isn't allowed to use their imaginations. What I'm saying is, if a parent purposely misleads a child into believing a fictional character is in fact real, that parent is lying to that child. The parent is urging that child to believe in something that isn't real. They are lying to their child. The intent of the parent is to get the child to believe something that isn't true. It doesn't matter what the object is, if you're trying to convince someone that something exists when you know it doesn't, that's called lying.

 

Why is that so hard to understand?

 

 

What I am trying to get across, is that for a child to believe Santa is real, does not take a parent misleading. If they hear the story, the fairytale, they will believe. The question is, do you allow them to believe, or do you try to squash the belief. Do you go along with it, or try to stop it. It is not lying to go along with a natural part of a childs development. It would be lying if you did things to make that developmental stage go beyond it natural progression. To keep a child believing beyond that stage, would require lying, and tricks to keep them thinking fairytales are true. But, there is no lying, when it is a part of natural development in children.  

 

 

 

Do you see it now?

 

No.

 

I'll repeat. To believe in fairytales is a natural part of a development stage for young children. If a young child betieves that Santa is real, it is because they have heard the story, and talked to other children their age, and/or seen a Santa in a store or mall. The parents haven't lied. Or mislead. It is natural. It is also a wonderous stage for children, and a parent can go with it, or try to stop it. Since this is a normal development stage, I do not think the parents should try to stop it, but let it take its natural course for the sake of the childs development.

 

If you are concerned about your child believing in Santa, never tell them about him. Or don't celebrate Christmas. I personally prefer that as many Christians as possible would celebrate Christmas and make sure that Christmas is about Jesus.

 

I did not grow up celebrating Christmas, or being taught about Santa, so I never believed. But there were other fairytales I probably thought were true simply because, that is the developmental stage of small children. I did not have any issues as I grew out of the stage and stopped believing in fairytales.

 

Accusing parents of young children as being liars or deceivers is simply not understanding children and their development with only one exception. Parents who attempt to prolong that stage, because parents think it is fun.  

 

 

 

I give up.  

[Guest man]

I don't understand how people can defend being deceitful to little kids as OK........   for any reason.

 

Playing the Santa Game might be ok as long as they know up front it's a game....  My Bible says you'll go to hell for lying....   and I would think even just for the fun of it.

 

 

Makes you wonder doesn't it.

[Guest shiloh357]

 

Go ahead and pick apart.   The point is that I gave the example because I knew that without the example my words could be taken wrong.   So you decide to spin my comments the wrong way anyway.  You purposely and knowingly accused me falsely of something I didn't intend.  Yeah, so go ahead and try to pick it apart.

 

 

 

 

No.   It would cross the line into a lie if the parents attempt to convince a child that Santa is real after the child has figured out that Santa isn't real.  If they try to perpetuate the Santa myth at the point when it is time to stop, then it crosses the line.

 

My Dad once tried to dress up as a monster to have a little fun with me when I was a kid. Once I figured out it was him, the jig was up and he had to stop.  Had he continued and endeavored to convince me that he really was who he was portraying and intentionally convinced me of that, then it would have been an act of deception.

 

Santa Claus and Rudolph are make believe and children and parents play along because it's fun.  That's it. 

 

 

 

 

What is "the jig" and why did it have "to stop"?

 

I contend the "jig" is your dad's intentional deception and it had to stop because you knew he was being deceitful towards you.

 

He wasn't being decietful in the sense you are trying to spin it.   It was a game and I knew it was a game.  I didn't take it as a lie or an act of deception.  I was intelligent enough to know the difference. 

 

Unfortunately, you feel the need to spin it as a lie just to have something to argue about. Most of us can intuitively tell the difference between make-believe and a lie.  You and some others are trying to muddy the waters on the issue.

 

I guess you really didn't have anything to pick apart after all.

[ayin jade]

Remember when life as simpler? You could be a Christian and put up a Christmas tree without anyone accusing you of worshiping trees. You could tell your kids stories about Santa without anyone making Santa out to be Satan. The guy who wrote the  poem "Night Before Christmas" was a minister, who wrote it as a bedtime story for his children. Sometimes I think we Christians try to complicate everything. Looking for evil at every turn. We have grown afraid to have fun , for fear that it may lead to evil in someway. This does not just go along with Christmas, but in almost every holiday. You can't even carve a pumpkin on Halloween without some one accusing you of worshiping the devil. Is this really how we want to live? Fearing that Christmas tress and pumpkins will send us and our children to hell?

 

 

That is pretty much life in modern america. You cant have fun any more without it offending someone. Isnt PC fun?