A Mom's answer to daughter asking is Santa real?

[clearconscience]

I've thought about how I would answer this question myself. This was a pretty good answer.
---------------------------------------------

Martha Brokenbrough is a writer, teacher and a mom who lives in Seattle, and she can be found at marthabee.com.

My daughter Lucy and I have been exchanging notes since the school year started. We've talked about all sorts of things—sports, books we'd like to read, adventures we'd like to have, even stories from when I was in third grade. For the most part, though, it's been light, casual stuff. Until last week.

I NEED TO KNOW, she wrote, using capital letters for emphasis. ARE YOU SANTA? TELL ME THE TRUTH.

What do you do when your kid asks for the truth? You tell it, of course, doing your best to figure out a way that keeps at least some of the magic intact.

Here's what I wrote:

Dear Lucy,

Thank you for your letter. You asked a very good question: "Are you Santa?"

I know you've wanted the answer to this question for a long time, and I've had to give it careful thought to know just what to say.

The answer is no. I am not Santa. There is no one Santa.

I am the person who fills your stockings with presents, though. I also choose and wrap the presents under the tree, the same way my mom did for me, and the same way her mom did for her. (And yes, Daddy helps, too.)

I imagine you will someday do this for your children, and I know you will love seeing them run down the stairs on Christmas morning. You will love seeing them sit under the tree, their small faces lit with Christmas lights.

This won't make you Santa, though.

Santa is bigger than any person, and his work has gone on longer than any of us have lived. What he does is simple, but it is powerful. He teaches children how to have belief in something they can't see or touch.

It's a big job, and it's an important one. Throughout your life, you will need this capacity to believe: in yourself, in your friends, in your talents and in your family. You'll also need to believe in things you can't measure or even hold in your hand. Here, I am talking about love, that great power that will light your life from the inside out, even during its darkest, coldest moments.

Santa is a teacher, and I have been his student, and now you know the secret of how he gets down all those chimneys on Christmas Eve: he has help from all the people whose hearts he's filled with joy.
With full hearts, people like Daddy and me take our turns helping Santa do a job that would otherwise be impossible.

So, no. I am not Santa. Santa is love and magic and hope and happiness. I'm on his team, and now you are, too.

I love you and I always will.

Mama

Read More

 

[v0lcom13sn0w]

i really like what she did. infact, someday, i'll probably have something similar to say to my kids.

but for now...


my 2 1/2 year old thinks santa is real. he chose to stay up all night waiting for santa amidst me telling him "santa doesnt come unless youre sleeping and he wont get his milk and cookies" so...at 5:30am on christmas morning STILL UP from the night before(yes i am very very tired at this point) it took every last bit of me to not tell him santa isnt real and to go to bed... finally, around 6am, he fell asleep infront of his bedroom door with his blanket and stuffed gorilla waiting for santa. His mother and I set out half eaten cookies(yum) and milk... Oh and carrots of course (for the reigndeer as we all know santa dont 'F' with no carrots). we set out a few unwrapped gifts "from santa" and at 9 AM he woke me up(im runnin on 3hrs of sleep too) and was yellin "DADA! the cookies are eaten and santa brought me a DUMP TRUCK!!!! he finally made it!" he was hyped up all day long tearing into presents and just so full of joy. its our first christmas with him actually ripping into presents(too little last year). Memories i will NEVER forget.

moral of my story is... have patience, kids are only little once, enjoy it as long as you can because theres nothing like the pure joy and happiness that comes from seeing pure joy and happiness from your child.

 

[Caveman Jim]

Yep, you only get one chance to win the love of your children, do it right and they will love you unconditionally the rest of their lives.

 

[clearconscience]

Yeah our daughter is 4yo and last year was the best year for santa. We do the elf on a shelf with her too and I think she loves the elf (Dede) more than santa.
We post the elf up on different places each night but always high enough she can't get to her.
Then xmas eve she gets to hold her and sleep with Dede and have her all xmas day. Then xmas night after she falls asleep we take the elf and put her away.
Man that crushed our baby girl. She actually cried. Felt horrible, but it's all part of the magic.

Holidays are fun, every moment of new discovery is amazing, but there is nothing that can compare to the magic of Christmas for kids.

Our son is only 11mths so he's just a drooling terror right now. Next year should be better for him.

Our kids were sick, myself including in the 2 weeks leading up to Christmas, between them being sick, work going crazy right now and not sleeping because of the 2, it has been a really rough few weeks, but that day makes it all worth it.

Those moments are what makes life so precious and worth it.

 

[Member 5605]

I was onto the scheme young.

My kids know there is no santa but there is a Santana who plays guitar.

We tell kids not to lie but we lie to them year round.... no thanks. Truth is a great foundation.

 

[PaulB47]

Wife and I never saw the point of telling our son anything but the truth (as best we are able to determine). And we saw lots of reasons for not telling him something we know is false.

 

[clearconscience]

Damn you guys are some cold MFers.

Let's just forget all those wasteful hopes and dreams too. Just raise them to know life is against them and you have to fight till you die.

Man life is hard enough. And getting worse. I teach my kids about right and wrong, working hard, etc.

But they deserve to be kids and know what believing in something bigger than themselves is.
Dreaming big. Exploring often. And loving something you may not ever see.

My wife doesn't always look like she did the day we started dating (former figure competitor) but I wouldn't actually tell her dofferent!

 

[jsparks747]

I've thought about how I would answer this question myself. This was a pretty good answer.
---------------------------------------------

Martha Brokenbrough is a writer, teacher and a mom who lives in Seattle, and she can be found at marthabee.com.

My daughter Lucy and I have been exchanging notes since the school year started. We've talked about all sorts of things—sports, books we'd like to read, adventures we'd like to have, even stories from when I was in third grade. For the most part, though, it's been light, casual stuff. Until last week.

I NEED TO KNOW, she wrote, using capital letters for emphasis. ARE YOU SANTA? TELL ME THE TRUTH.

What do you do when your kid asks for the truth? You tell it, of course, doing your best to figure out a way that keeps at least some of the magic intact.

Here's what I wrote:

Dear Lucy,

Thank you for your letter. You asked a very good question: "Are you Santa?"

I know you've wanted the answer to this question for a long time, and I've had to give it careful thought to know just what to say.

The answer is no. I am not Santa. There is no one Santa.

I am the person who fills your stockings with presents, though. I also choose and wrap the presents under the tree, the same way my mom did for me, and the same way her mom did for her. (And yes, Daddy helps, too.)

I imagine you will someday do this for your children, and I know you will love seeing them run down the stairs on Christmas morning. You will love seeing them sit under the tree, their small faces lit with Christmas lights.

This won't make you Santa, though.

Santa is bigger than any person, and his work has gone on longer than any of us have lived. What he does is simple, but it is powerful. He teaches children how to have belief in something they can't see or touch.

It's a big job, and it's an important one. Throughout your life, you will need this capacity to believe: in yourself, in your friends, in your talents and in your family. You'll also need to believe in things you can't measure or even hold in your hand. Here, I am talking about love, that great power that will light your life from the inside out, even during its darkest, coldest moments.

Santa is a teacher, and I have been his student, and now you know the secret of how he gets down all those chimneys on Christmas Eve: he has help from all the people whose hearts he's filled with joy.
With full hearts, people like Daddy and me take our turns helping Santa do a job that would otherwise be impossible.

So, no. I am not Santa. Santa is love and magic and hope and happiness. I'm on his team, and now you are, too.

I love you and I always will.

Mama

I was interested to see how she explained it since i have always been told there waasn't a santa and my family always got presents for each other and would say "I want Sarah (my sister) to open mine now"

 

[clearconscience]

I still remember being very young and riding the school bus with older kids.
I found out santa wasn't real because these older kids were laughing and making fun of a kid because he still believed in santa, they started joking with me about him and I just started laughing too like I was with them, inside my fragile heart was broken.

Lol kinda funny now though.

 

[jsparks747]

I still remember being very young and riding the school bus with older kids.
I found out santa wasn't real because these older kids were laughing and making fun of a kid because he still believed in santa, they started joking with me about him and I just started laughing too like I was with them, inside my fragile heart was broken.

Lol kinda funny now though.

That's when you find out that those kids believed rumors that santa was real when they were 30.

 

[albin25]

When mine was old enough to question on her own, Santa ceased to be a living person, but to this day remains an idea. Often it will be the first (and safely non-threatening) loss of childish innocence and will often remain to be a shared wink and a nod between a parent and child for many more years as they learn the joy of anonymous giving to others.

Life has good and life has bad, the good needs looking for sometimes...
...the bad usually finds you.

 

[wired]

I just tell my kids that if they don't want presents from Santa they can stop believing in him.

 

[clearconscience]

That's when you find out that those kids believed rumors that santa was real when they were 30.

I wished I still believed in something!

 

[jsparks747]

I wished I still believed in something!

I believe in. Jesus and guns!

 

[PaulB47]

Damn you guys are some cold MFers.

Let's just forget all those wasteful hopes and dreams too. Just raise them to know life is against them and you have to fight till you die.

Strange idea, to think that having hopes and dreams depends on believing falsehoods.

 

[Oregonhunter5]

I see santa as a spiritual deal. Christs birthday. Christ is buddies with santa. Christ gave us holidays for a reason....

 

[jsparks747]

I see santa as a spiritual deal. Christs birthday. Christ is buddies with santa. Christ gave us holidays for a reason....

Saint Nicholas man! The first santa.

 

[jsparks747]

Had to put this up.

 

[Hawaiian]

 

[teflon6string]

When my GF's son was young, he was concerned that some boys at school were saying there's no Easter bunny.

He said it was time to grow up and he was ready to know the truth, quickly adding, "But we're not going to talk about Santa!"