For parents with small children (under 12) the question for most of those that celebrate Christmas with gifts is whether or not it is time to break the news that Santa no longer exists in the literal sense. Well, that question has crossed my mind, but I also began to think beyond that point as to how my child would feel when I did reveal the truth.
As a child I was amazed that Santa rarely gave me what I asked for, but the gifts were still great. I was not told that Santa did not bring me gifts every year at Christmastime; I discovered it. As children still do to this day it was almost Christmas and I wanted to know what my parents had bought for me. Well, one year one of my discoveries were marked as having come from Santa. It was extremely deflating. Especially since Santa was the last mythological figure I still believed in.
That Christmas, I grew up.
While pondering this inevitable circumstance I realized that my parents must have really loved me to keep up that farce. They purchased gifts, hid them and then allowed me to believe that this mystical being had delivered those gifts during the night because I had been 'mostly' good. That is true love. Giving credit to someone that does not even exist just to allow me to enjoy my childhood. I Love my parents for it.
Will it take my child nearly 20 years to understand that I did not just lie, but wanted to prolong those precious guileless years?
No comments:
Post a Comment