Should we tell the children the truth about Santa Claus? – What do the experts advise?

Christmas is approaching and along with the decorations, sweets and gifts comes the well-known question of parents: Is it time to tell their children the truth about Santa Claus?

Like it or not, we all have to grow up at some point. And while imagination is a normal part of childhood, there comes a time for all parents when they wonder when they should reveal truths like this to their children, forever transferring a piece of their childhood innocence into the past.

There is beauty in keeping the magic alive

THE Jennifer Kelman, therapist and social worker, speaking to JustAnswer.com, says society often rushes to make children grow up prematurely. “This includes the cessation of the ‘magic and wonder’ characteristic of childhood,” he says.

“There is no such thing as being too old to believe in Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny or the Tooth Fairy,” Kelman tells yahoo.com. “It’s better to let children figure out the truth for themselves than to have parents breaking the news.”

“Many parents rush their children to grow up faster, but at what cost?”

The child psychiatrist Sheldon Zablow from San Diego, California, has a different take on parental responsibility when it comes to fantasy. “It’s more important for a child’s emotional well-being to be able to rely on the parent to reflect the reality of the world,” she says.

“If a parent deceives a child about the Tooth Fairy, Santa or the Easter Bunny, it can disrupt the foundations of the child’s long-term emotional health by undermining their role as a person the child can trust.”

Experts agree, however, that there should be conversations between parents and children about reality and fantasy. Children may inevitably be confronted with harsh or shocking truths by their peers at any time, but it is a parent’s job to spot the signs that a child is ready to accept and understand the reality of their favorite fictional characters.

Wait until the child is ready to learn the truth

“The key issue is not so much when to break the news to the child, but when the child is ready to understand that Santa Claus (or another fictional character) is not real,” says dr. Helen Egger, head of medicine and science. employee of virtual children’s mental health provider Little Otter.

“Kids will react differently when they accept that Santa doesn’t exist,” says Egger. “Some guys will take it realistically. Some will show strong emotions, while others will feel that they have grown up.”

“It’s normal for the child to get upset,” she adds. “Your job as a parent is to listen, acknowledge, accept and empathize with your child’s feelings, not tell them how or what they should feel.”

There are benefits to believing

Most parents seem reluctant to ‘crush’ their child’s imagination, and according to experts, that’s okay, as children can benefit from it: Engaging a child’s imagination has positive effects on their creativity and overall problem-solving skills problems.

THE Wendy Kovacs Cortes from Adler University’s Department of Couples and Family Therapy, says that “the natural process of cognitive change and peer influence will likely take care of belief in fictional characters by itself.”

“There is no specific right or wrong time,” he continues. “Research shows that belief in magic has long-term mental health and academic benefits specifically associated with hope.”

“My hope for the kids is that they grow up to still believe there is some magic in the world,” adds Kovacs Cortes. “Believing in something you can’t see or touch, like faith or the bonds within a family, shows a shift from childhood magic to a cultural understanding of what magic represents to us.”

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