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RE: Teaching your kids about Santa Clause
September 7, 2015 at 11:53 pm
(This post was last modified: September 7, 2015 at 11:55 pm by Justtristo.)
(September 7, 2015 at 8:49 pm)Catholic_Lady Wrote: Greetings, infidels.
How do y'all feel about the whole Santa Clause thing? Did you, do you plan to, or would you if you had kids, tell them Santa is real? Do you think it's ok if parents want to do Santa Clause with their kids, or do you think it's wrong?
If I was a Christian and I had children I would say that Santa Claus is satanic. Especially that Santa Claus rewards good kids and punishes bad kids, that can be seen as a mockery of Jesus role as the judge of the living and the dead.
Honestly I have met people who seriously believe this.
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RE: Teaching your kids about Santa Clause
September 7, 2015 at 11:55 pm
First of all, Claus. Not Clause, people. Claus.
/grammarnazi
Second of all, I remember the magic of Christmas as a kid very fondly. Santa Claus bringing gifts was an amazing thing. I think I was 6 or 7 when I figured it out. I wasn't traumatized. I think my parents eased me out of it. Like the tooth fairy, like the Easter Bunny.
I would never pull the naughty/nice gambit to threaten my kids with no presents, though. My parents didn't really do that with me as far as I can remember.
But Santa is harmless, and they're going to be exposed to it over and over and over again during the holiday season. Might as well let them have the fun.
"There remain four irreducible objections to religious faith: that it wholly misrepresents the origins of man and the cosmos, that because of this original error it manages to combine the maximum servility with the maximum of solipsism, that it is both the result and the cause of dangerous sexual repression, and that it is ultimately grounded on wish-thinking." ~Christopher Hitchens, god is not Great
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RE: Teaching your kids about Santa Clause
September 7, 2015 at 11:57 pm
(September 7, 2015 at 11:39 pm)vorlon13 Wrote: How about spreading the idea that if a kid is bad enough, they can be spanked to DEATH.
I don't believe there's a such thing as a bad child, but the "idea" that a child can be beaten to death is a very disturbing reality. Recently a five year old boy who lived very close to me was beaten to death by his father. I never knew him and I still feel completely heartbroken by it. Sorry...I think I ruined your joke but I just didn't think it was very funny.
(August 21, 2017 at 11:31 pm)KevinM1 Wrote: "I'm not a troll"
Religious Views: He gay
0/10
Hammy Wrote:and we also have a sheep on our bed underneath as well
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RE: Teaching your kids about Santa Clause
September 7, 2015 at 11:59 pm
(This post was last modified: September 8, 2015 at 12:00 am by Cecelia.)
In our household, The Doctor delivers presents on Christmas. At least he did until this past year when our kids figured out on their own that The Doctor doesn't really deliver presents. He's too busy saving worlds.
I think it's fine to teach kids about Santa. Though personally I found out from my sister as soon as our parents told her. I was four at the time. She decided if she couldn't have Santa, neither could I.
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RE: Teaching your kids about Santa Clause
September 8, 2015 at 12:17 am
My little brother is 4 years younger than I.
I remember wanting to protect his innocence, longing for the good old days when I thought Santa was bringing me presents. A sober 6 year old reminiscing.
"There remain four irreducible objections to religious faith: that it wholly misrepresents the origins of man and the cosmos, that because of this original error it manages to combine the maximum servility with the maximum of solipsism, that it is both the result and the cause of dangerous sexual repression, and that it is ultimately grounded on wish-thinking." ~Christopher Hitchens, god is not Great
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RE: Teaching your kids about Santa Clause
September 8, 2015 at 1:18 am
I'm never having kids, but if I did, I wouldn't mislead them like this. My wife has different opinions and thinks it's all harmless fun. I don't think it's a massive deal, but I am still against it on principle. I'm all for make believe, but I'd much rather be clear with my children when we are playing and when we are talking about reality.
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RE: Teaching your kids about Santa Clause
September 8, 2015 at 2:09 am
(September 7, 2015 at 9:34 pm)Losty Wrote: I had to deal with that about god so I added Santa in. I told my kids that some people like to think their fairytales are real and it's better to let them believe so we don't hurt their feelings.
I've often thought that the whole Santa thing actually helps demonstrate to children how people believe in fairy tales. If they know that Santa Claus isn't real but they see their peers believing in it then they will have a very useful lesson from very early on in life about how easily people are fooled.
This doesn't just apply to God as well, but also financial bubbles and political propaganda.
Although it's one thing seeing how easily other people are fooled, it's another thing to realise how easy it is to want to fool yourself. So an alternative would be to just leave them presents but not tell them how they got there and let them figure it out for themselves. And when they come running down saying it's Santa ask them how it's possible.
This is probably why I don't have children.
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RE: Teaching your kids about Santa Clause
September 8, 2015 at 2:21 am
I like that approach! Allowing your child to learn and guiding their thinking process is better than just announcing facts. I'm a huge fan of the Socratic method.
Apparently, I was also a fan when I was very young. My method wasn't very sophisticated at that point though.
Parent: Tells me something
Me: But why?
Parent: Explanation
Me: But why?
Parent: Explanation of explanation
Me: But why?
Parent: Explanation of explanation of explanation
Me: But why?
Parent: Let's watch some cartoons.
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RE: Teaching your kids about Santa Clause
September 8, 2015 at 2:34 am
(September 8, 2015 at 2:21 am)robvalue Wrote: I like that approach! Allowing your child to learn and guiding their thinking process is better than just announcing facts. I'm a huge fan of the Socratic method.
Apparently, I was also a fan when I was very young. My method wasn't very sophisticated at that point though.
Parent: Tells me something
Me: But why?
Parent: Explanation
Me: But why?
Parent: Explanation of explanation
Me: But why?
Parent: Explanation of explanation of explanation
Me: But why?
Parent: Let's watch some cartoons.
My cousin did that when I had to baby sit her. She was four and I was 12, but we both like animal documentaries, so I turn on animal planet to a bear scratching his ass off a tree. You can imagine how that went.
To-morrow, and to-morrow, and to-morrow,
Creeps in this petty pace from day to day,
To the last syllable of recorded time;
And all our yesterdays have lighted fools
The way to dusty death. Out, out, brief candle!
Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player,
That struts and frets his hour upon the stage,
And then is heard no more. It is a tale
Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,
Signifying nothing.
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RE: Teaching your kids about Santa Clause
September 8, 2015 at 4:07 am
(This post was last modified: September 8, 2015 at 4:08 am by robvalue.)
lol yeah! 
It is interesting to go down the rabbit hole now and again, to identify our most basic assumptions and thought processes.
Santa is real, by the way. Of course we tell children that he delivers presents, but they later found out he doesn't literally do that himself, he uses his power to guide parents to buy presents. If the children have been good, he motivates the parents to get better presents. If they've been bad, this sort of thing happens:
http://youtu.be/LV6MhOjsbc4
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