Were you lied to about Santa?

What were you told about homosexuality?

Heterosexuality?

Childbirth?

Abortion?

Pedophilia?

Serial Killers?

Lots for parents to lie about huh?

I have a two kids. Soon to be 8 and 10. Currently they both believe in Santa, the Tooth Fairy, and Easter Bunny. The older one has expressed some doubts, sure, but either still believes or "plays along." Those were "things" in my household growing up, but I don't remember when I stopped believing.

Half the people I talk to about this shrug and say they don't remember when they stopped believing, and the other half describe it as like, their first experience of feeling betrayed. These are the only two responses I seem to get. That's weird.

One of those half's likely have tattoos, are less likely to have attended college, and are atheist. Wanna bet?

It was neither for me, I was the one who worked it out and it was my sibling who felt severely betrayed and cried while I just felt a tiny bit angry but then realised my parents were just sheep in a world full of liars so really it wasn't worth being mad.

Yeah I didn't because the way I found out was my mother admitting it all to me when I asked and she felt more guilt telling me the truth than about lying to me which I had to agree was accurate to feel.

eth, I love ya man, but sometimes it sure seems like you're trying to make a sociopolitical battle out of everything. Sometimes I just want to chat with people on a personal level.

Cass, have I ever stopped you from doing that?

My parents said Santa is real as long as you believe in Santa. I still  believe. I told my kids the same thing. I figured it out and so did my kids. We all still believe in Santa. Just not in the literal take the fun out of everything way that buzz kill people want to hear.

My parents had a policy of not lying to their kids. They also taught us to think for ourselves and to love learning.

If they would have lied to me about Santa Claus, it would have likely undermined the more difficult but true things they tried to pass on.

Interesting thing to think about...

If you are a bad kid who is also poor, a lump of coal isn't really that bad of a gift as it works as fuel for the furnace in the cold winter.

Gotta be honest, nope. I can't recall you ever stopping me from doing anything, in fact.

Ta daaaa! Ethan, champion of your freedom!

Parents are the head/lead authority in a childs lives ergo parents, like any countrys leader do not lie.

What kind of world we be living in if our parents and leaders lied to us?

At the top of our tree was and angel. At the top of society are leader sthat are angels that do not lie.

Who did Santa vote for in the last USA election? OMG, tell me it not true!

This Santa thing cracks me up people get so serious about it. Really? calling parents liars for making holidays fun?? geeze…(I know you never said that, I've read it). 

I was about 6-8 years old when I discarded the whole idea it was more of a natural process, no one ever told me Santa "was real" (in those words) and no one ever told me he wasn't. Common sense rolled in all by itself lol. However, I would never label my own parents liars for having a bit of fun on Christmas, that is a bit extreme. There's a difference in playing along with something as opposed to indoctrinating someone. Holidays are what they are, it's for the kids, it's a part of culture....then they grow out of it. 

It's similar to kids watching cartoons.....cartoons don't project the real world, as well cartoons aren't lying to anyone. It's just for kids to have fun with, then they put it aside. 

I don't think early memories are very reliable.   I can't clearly being told about Santa (or 'Father Christmas' as he is in te UK) either way and  I have no idea if I believed in Santa when I was or 2 or 4.  I'm fairly sure I was never told explicitly that Santa doesn't exist, but neither do I recall when - or if - I stopped believing in him. 

And yet they lied to you about gods, go figure.

Isn't it nice on your pedestal from where you can patronise the lower classes and let them know that they should be grateful for whatever crumbs fall down to them. They should stop moaning about their children starving, ungrateful riff raff. Hello Jesus.

Many parents tell their children explicitly that Santa is real. It's not not like cartoons at all to the children, I know first hand.

I grew up in the ghetto where 6 year olds ran around with pocket knives. smoking cigarettes. I never saw a real vegetable until I was grown up. The buses had to change which part of the school they parkked on because of frequent shootings. 

I grew up poor. I lived 8 years on the streets to get away from where I grew up because everyone told me it was hopeless and that if you were born there you will die there. Though I live in a place now that isn't like where I come from, and I live very differently,. I still live under the poverty line. I live in a place with 1 bedroom. I am married. It works though. I live simply, and I am happy. So is my spouse. We are in a much nicer place than where I grew up. My work involves allowing the hearing impaired to communicate. I give a sizable chunk of my income to the homeless who I also personally minister to. 

I am the lower class, and I am pretty certain I do more to help the disadvantaged than you do, despite the fact that I myself am poor and even have a broken back that puts me in constant pain and keeps me from doing more profitable work involving trades, of which I am actually trained in several. I am a certified electrician even, can't do much about that. My entire life has been hardship, struggle, hopelessness, dealing with discrimination, and despite what seems like everything working against me, I still managed to get where I am today, and the one I thank for that is GOD ALMIGHTY and no one else, not even myself.

I think you are a very mean spirited person. You are certainly playing your role at being disgusted at everything, but it makes you a rather disgusting individual. Maybe you'd be less disgusting if you changed your attitude, and adjusted the way you treat others.

Well, now you know a good use for a lump of coal.

I don't believe a word, your bible lies ergo.

Well look, if somebody wants to call their own momma a liar that's up to them, whatever. I'm saying that it is a bit extreme when the whole point is just for fun, kids all grow out of it and most don't even need to be told they just figure it out. I don't personally know anyone upset about it! that's the part that gets me.

Even when the kids grow out of it they become an adult parent and play the same game. Personally I don't do the Santa bit with my kids. They know who Santa is obviously in an American culture but none of this old man sliding down the chimney crap to deliver presents. They know their toys come from us lol.

Yep some people can't stand to see other people have fun. They are hell bent on ruining everything because their life sucks. Like you said, every kid figures it out. And no kid ever went to their parents and scolded them for lying to them. Normal kids just figure it out and pass the fun along. And some kids grow up to be huge sticks in the mud and try to find fault in everything and ruin Christmas for their kids.

Yeah I'll take that bet. I don't suppose we'll be seeing you for a couple of years, it should take you at least that long to fabricate the support you'd need to win that bet. BTW how many were amputees

I pity those people who are so hat filled they don't know how to have fun. Just sayin'. Apropos of nowt.

My family plays a lot of little tricks on kids from a young age in general, so something like santa is just another short sense of achievement figuring things out and intellectually hanging in there with their elders.