[blparent] Santa

[jan wright]

Hi V,

i understand the concept of Santa and do think that "Giving" is a good
idea. in fact, i think that one of our traditions will be buying a
gift for someone else (even outside the family) and 'giving it' it --
maybe even annonymously.
you wrote:
"A parent shouldn't play the game if they can't or won't fulfill their
child's wishes."
It is not just the parent, but the entire society. and, so you are
saying that if a parent can't (in some way) fulfill a child's wishes,
then they shouldn't give the child hope. But, it is not nearly that
simple. Do those who are unemployed just tell their child that Santa
can't make it this year? How do you explain why Jenny got everything
that was on her list and Jessica (whose list might have been quite a
bit smaller in comparison) did not get anything that was on hers?

i understand this point, but we don't live in a vacuum. Personally,
while I might indulge my child a bit, I still think that if we are not
careful, we can give children the wrong message about Santa, gift
giving and receiving. I would never bust another child's bubble about
Santa and when my children did know who Santa was, I would encourage
them to permit the others to believe as long as they could. It is the
parents' responsibility to teach them about Santa.
And, i am not saying that Santa is wrong or bad. Truth be told, when
the children are old enough to understand, we enjoy playing a bit of
"Santa" ourselves.
i am just saying that i have seen lots of parents go into debt playing
Santa and i have seen lots of ungreatful spoiled children, who,
(Because they think that Santa has an endless supply of toys), believe
that their behavior directly corelates with the gifts that they
receive.