The Santa Myth

Firstly, by continually corrupting our children with these lies we are breaking the foundations of trust within the family. Trust plays a vital role in a family, an invaluable gift that cannot be sold or bought, only treasured. Both Parents and children should establish and maintain a healthy relationship and share a unique bond together however this bond is threatened by the lies we tell. Kathy McKay, a clinical psychologist said: “The Santa myth is such an involved lie, such a long-lasting one, between parents and children, that if a relationship is vulnerable, this may be the final straw.” McKay informs us that an in-complex lie like the Santa myth could affect the family depending on how vulnerable the family’s status is. Despite this,

There is no point of letting our child believe in a world of “make believe” as it is not beneficial and will not help you with daily life in the future which gives them an unrealistic expectation of what life is like to come. Children do not realise that life is not simple as we may assume, just ask your parents. As a parent we paint the image of a fairy tale and how life is going to be smooth and steady whereas in truth, it is a total tragedy. On top of that, this can lead to mental effects on your child. In the UK alone figures suggest that more than 8,000 children under the age of ten suffer from depression. Many believe the reason for this is due to bullying or even stress however has anyone ever thought about it being caused by parents continually lying to their children? Religious holidays such as Christmas are times for family gatherings but let’s be honest, children are more concerned about the mythical creatures than the importance of family and the religious aspect of the day. The counterfeit characters are their main focus rather than the things that are existent and matter the most like family which can expedite a loss of confidence as they are living in a world on their

As a parent, coming clean to your children is one of the worst moments of your life because you do not know how your child will react to the news. A lot of weight will be lifted from their shoulders after revealing the truth, some children will continue with their daily lives normally however on the other hand the majority are rolling across the ground, screaming with tears running down their face, trying to force their parent to tell them it’s just a prank. Moreover, children must realize that rewards like Easter eggs and presents are not free, the average spend on each child’s Christmas present is £177. This is extravagant and not required. Consequently, this exacerbates the situation for parents as the older the children get, the more expensive the value of a gift gets which place an abundance of pressure upon the parents as they might need to do extra shifts just to afford the presents. The survey of more than 2,000 British parents found that the average cost of a birthday present for a child between the ages of four and 10 tots up to £175.80. This tells us that parents tend to spend more on their child’s Christmas presents than their birthday presents which is uncalled for! By pretending to be Santa, they spend more on Christmas than on their child’s own