Based on preliminary reports and early holiday season observations this may be our first Christmas with a skeptic in the house.
A Santa skeptic.
It appears the irresponsible revelation of childhood fantasy figures that occurred between some swarmy teenager camp counselors and a group of kidkins at camp last summer, has stayed with my just turned 9-year old.
When we were in the process of telling our 5-year old that we were going to see Santa (or one of his "helpers" dressed up as Santa...wink, wink) in a few weeks, our 9-year old chirped up loudly and stated that she wouldn't be doing the Santa gig this year.
So far she's been keeping quiet about the E! True Hollywood Stories behind the Tooth Fairy, Easter Bunny, and the Jolly one to herself...meaning we haven't discussed what she overheard while at camp last summer. In fact this recent incident was the first time we actually broached the subject, and so far she's keeping her "knowledge" to herself.
My wife and I are providing a united front and will keep the charade up for the benefit of our youngest...our biggest fear being the older sister pulls a Geraldo and dashes the childhood fantasies of her little sister in one fell swoop of her flapping tongue.
While some may say that 9 is plenty old to have the "talk" about the mythical creatures that populate the fantastical worlds of our girl's childhoods, still others say that 9 is plenty old to have the other "talk" as well -- the one that begins with an S and ends with an X.
This is new territory for us, so we're defaulting to how my in-laws handled the situation for my wife and her siblings -- to this day they haven't spilled the beans about Santa. And having two granddaughters to play along with to continue the fantasy only stokes the traditional fire.
But something tells me that in the sleep depriving hours prior to her long winters nap and the wee morning moments of Christmas morning, the logic, peer pressure, and common sense that is battling for control of my 9-year olds brain, will give in to the remnants of the magic that is childhood fantasy and the hope that only a child can feel via the innocence of youth.
Heck Virginia, if there really isn't a Santa Clause, Easter Bunny and Tooth Fairy, then maybe you can explain the reasoning behind Windoze Vista being the best OS that Microsoft can deliver.
Tiny tots with their eyes all aglow, will find it hard to sleep tonight...
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A few years back, one of my nephews was starting to wonder whether Santa was real or not. It also happened to be the year they did Christmas down here in Oklahoma rather than at home in Ohio. I actually threw some dried up horse manure on the roof of my house and told him it was reindeer poop. In the end, I think it was his calculation that he would get more and better gifts if pretended to beleive and didn't shatter his parents illusions.
Periodicallly our kids ask about Santa's existence and/or his secrets. Our pat answer has always been, "We can tell you if you really want to know, but as soon as you know, he stops delivering his annual cheesy gift to you." I'm not sure why they want the gift from him as it usually isn't really anything of value, but so far all of them choose to not voice their skepticism (including the 13 year old). My philosopy is to not rush them into adulthood, that'll be here soon enough with all it's inherent troubles.
Jake - adulthood = inherent troubles...is there something about life you're not telling me?
For such a young soul, your parenting skills always inspire me.
Hey, my mom never did give me the talk beginning with S and ending with X. Somehow I figured it out anyway. And somehow I figured out the part about Santa and the tooth fairy too.
Back in September A quizzed me all about the big guy. I tried to be as evasive as possible but when asked point blank told the truth (my son was at least 2 years older before he wondered). However, the revelation didn't seem to apply to the tooth fairy. So, we're going with it. Now that the holiday has come she's decided to play dumb and we're going to let her.
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