One thing is letting them develop a sense of humor; another thing is lying to them when they're clearly not able to distinguish between a lie and the truth.
One thing is letting them develop a sense of humor; another thing is lying to them when they're clearly not able to distinguish between a lie and the truth.
I've pondered on this my whole adult life. Are we doing kids wrong with things like Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, fairy tales, tall tales, etc.? I think not. I think kids come up with their own childish and wrong explanations for things on their own, whether or not other kids, parents, relatives tell them the world was black and white until the late 1950's or that Santa delivers presents down the chimney. Part of growing up is learning to question those childhood ideas and beliefs (misunderstandings) and move past them.
And really, it's something that shouldn't stop with childhood beliefs. There are a lot problems we have as adults because of stories we have been told and stories we tell ourselves that are not true.
> Part of growing up is learning to question those childhood ideas and beliefs (misunderstandings) and move past them.
Yeah, Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, and the Tooth Fairy were all a sort of mini rite-of-passage when I was a kid, with everyone figuring it out at different times. Made us feel a little more grown up, especially among other kids who hadn't figured it out yet. And for some reason I don't remember us spoiling it for them - instead we were in on the secret to make the holiday more fun.