Parents who tell their children Santa isn’t coming if they don’t start to behave.
Or, just any parent who tells their child that Santa exists and that their gifts depend on how well or badly they act throughout the year…
My parents told me about Santa, but explained the truth to me. (Thank you guys!) They very clearly elaborated that the Santa Claus I see in malls are just older men who make younger children happy by listening to what they want for Christmas.
Though who can’t admit that some children wail and cry helplessly the whole time they’re on Santa’s lap?
Though I’ve never believed in Santa, this doesn’t mean I think all kids should be told Santa’s not real…
I am just adamantly against parents using Santa as a bargaining tool or as a negotiation for certain behaviors.
Santa represents giving and caring, not judgment.
A child ought to be good for the sake of being good. I know it seems ridiculous to believe that a child could comprehend that, but nearly all my friends of a similar age are this way. We act intrinsically. These young children are now being encouraged to act for extrinsic purposes.
Instead of threatening your child about whether or not they’ll be getting presents, maybe spend the REST of the year encouraging them to act nicely, polite, to bolster their manners and self-esteem.
I’m not an expert in parenting. But I’ve taken enough Psychology and Sociology courses to know that a child who is raised to believe only good behavior is rewarded with palpable tangible things will only act ‘good’ when there is something to ‘get.’
Let’s stop berating children and threatening them people. They’re little. They want Santa to come. So let’s just teach them how to behave properly or however you’d like, and maybe telling them the truth about Santa would be hugely beneficial…
…Besides, if they know that it’s the parents supplying the presents instead of Santa, they’re way more likely to behave better with you regardless hahah.
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