There's more than just the mistrust, but I would say that's the hot ticket item at the moment. Other things include an unsubstantiated guilt (believing Santa will put a child on the naughty list), ridicule from other children (being the only child in class that firmly believes in Santa because why would his or her parents lie about such a thing, or lie about anything for that matter), and the possibility of not finding out that he doesn't exist early on, which can lead to some psychological damage, being unable to differentiate at an early age between reality and falsehood (I read in one article that some children have been known to still believe into their teens).
Here are some articles that I reviewed recently. The last one has the stats in it.
Is Santa Bad for Kids
The Santa Lie
In Our House There is no Santa
Believing in Santa may be Good for kids
I read up on the good and the bad, but I found overwhelming evidence for bad. They mostly substantiated my feeling that perhaps telling kids there is a Santa is not the best idea, but there were definitely some good arguments as to why it might not be so bad either.
Here are some articles that I reviewed recently. The last one has the stats in it.
Is Santa Bad for Kids
The Santa Lie
In Our House There is no Santa
Believing in Santa may be Good for kids
I read up on the good and the bad, but I found overwhelming evidence for bad. They mostly substantiated my feeling that perhaps telling kids there is a Santa is not the best idea, but there were definitely some good arguments as to why it might not be so bad either.
