This time of year children are encouraged to believe.. they should be encouraged to question

[True Earthling]

Last edited Wed Dec 9, 2015, 01:00 PM - Edit history (1)

I watched Polar Express last night. A big theme was the power of belief..associating the belief in Santa Claus with believing in yourself. Not sure what kind of connection that is when the Santa dream will eventually be looked back on as a prank enjoyed by children instigated by well intentioned parents. I allowed my children to believe in Santa but did not encourage it. I am not advocating parents becoming Santa myth-busters but to balance it out by also encouraging curiosity, skepticism and discovery.

We live in a culture that places a high value on belief...

https://goo.gl/X4oQpV

Belief is easy... like water it follows the path of least resistance and generally leads us to what feels good. A belief can be adopted in an instant through virtually no thought or effort. Belief can also breed prejudice, hate and violence. Discovery is difficult...it requires work...the results may not always be what we want but in the end when truth is discovered it will save us from heartache and disappointment and/or provide us with liberation and relief.

lyrics from Polar Express (Believe)...

When it seems that we have lost our way...
We find ourselves again on Christmas Day.

Believe in what your heart is saying,
Hear the melody that's playing
There's no time to waste,
There so much to celebrate.
Believe in what you feel inside,
And give your dreams the wings to fly.
You have everything you need, if you just Believe.

If you just believe.
If you just believe.
If you just believe...just believe...just believe.

As far as following your dreams... a more realistic approach would be to know your strengths and weaknesses, know your limits, know your risks, learn as much as you can from others who have achieved the same dream and what road they took and the difficulties they encountered ... If the desire and passion still compel you to chase that dream...then go for it. It will at least be an informed decision.

OTOH...blind self confidence is a recipe for disaster.

Just wanted to get this off my chest. My wife who is a special-ed teacher made the comment last night while watching Polar Express..."Why are they talking about belief? They should be teaching kids to question"... good point IMO.

[sharp_stick]

1. I usually make exceptions for small children

who already are encouraged to become little adults a little too early in life for my liking.

[yeoman6987]

7. So true

A little belief in Santa is great when their lives consist of getting dropped at day care starting at 6 weeks old and not stopping until they are 22 if not longer.....what I am referring to is horrible routine. No more getting to be just kids staying at home until going to kindergarten where it used to be fun and now instructional. No recess. No gym. Everything dangerous. A little make believe a month out of the year for max 8 years should be applauded. Of course naysayers would rather kids not have any fun at all.

[cali]

2. You can do both. And both can be good.

And I have no problem with little kids believing in Santa or the tooth fairy, as long as they're allowed to evolve out of it at their own pace.

[True Earthling]

8. I allowed my kids to believe in Santa.. I went along with it

but didn't encourage it. I think believing in Santa is OK but some parents go overboard and act like THEY believe it too to get their kids to believe. I never did that. I think it encourages credulity. I think my kids sensed that I wasn't a big fan of Santa but that didn't stop them from enjoying Christmas.

Honestly.. I never encouraged my kids to believe in anything. I was brought up Catholic with 12 yrs of catholic schooling. I tried to teach my kids to be skeptical and curious.

One thing I did emphasize.. that everything in the movies and on TV is fake.. they are all actors doing a job. Nobody really died on the screen etc. It might take some of the magic out of it but it might have prevented some nightmares.

[Zing Zing Zingbah]

11. This is exactly what I did with my kids.

I don't make a big deal out of Santa. I have never encouraged or discouraged Santa belief in my kids. My youngest is 6 and still believes in Santa. He has been drawing lots of Christmas pictures lately. I think it is important to let young children have imaginative play and Santa is a part of that. Kids will naturally figure out Santa is not real when they are ready, as long as no one is actively trying to trick the child into believing.

[swilton]

3. Well said

Know so many adults who believe in myths whether it be religious, national or other.....

[Brickbat]

4. Nice post, Hitler.

[LanternWaste]

5. A pragmatic, sober and businesslike approach to the holidays

A pragmatic, sober and businesslike approach to not only the holidays, but also dreams is wonderful option for small children.

But that's merely my belief; hence, a recipe for disaster.

[Throd]

6. Let kids be kids.

[The2ndWheel]

9. What?

Discovery is difficult...it requires work...the results may not always be what we want but in the end when truth is discovered it will save us from heartache and disappointment and/or provide us with liberation and relief.

It might save us from heartache and disappointment and/or provide us with liberation and relief, but then it might not. You're putting a lot of faith and belief in the truth to work in the way that you want it to.

[True Earthling]

13. The truth is what it is...

You're putting a lot of faith and belief in the truth to work in the way that you want it to.

True.. truth can also hurt. No matter what the truth..knowing it allows you to deal with it more effectively. It gives you a clearer picture of what you're dealing with.

If you're looking for truth to give you the answer you're looking for then your not really looking for the truth.

[GreatGazoo]

10. In an unintentional way "Santa" DOES teach children to question.

Sooner or later they will know it is a big lie. That their parents, the media and everyone else are capable of sustaining big lies and that those same people believe that some lies are good for you and fun.

The whole Santa lie is loaded with myths about materialism -- that possessions = happiness, that the best way to celebrate the birthday of a prophet who said "give up your material possessions and follow me" and threw the money changers out of the temple is to go into debt buying extra stuff. And perhaps worst of all, that the kids down the street who got more and better gifts from "Santa" are better than you in the eyes of Santa/Jesus.

[Codeine]

12. My kids never did the Santa thing.

But we don't do the God thing either, so disbelief is SOP in our house I guess.