The time has come, the magic has hit a brick wall. My 11 year old figured out there's not Santa and we had to have that talk. I am surprised we got this far to be honest, we didn't want to barge in on her mind and tell her ourselves. I feel that's something kids should figure out in their own time. Now is that time, and I did my best to remember what I always wanted to say. I stopped believing in Santa at around the same age, my parents kept the innocence. I found out by waking up to my parents carrying presents, I didn't question Santa or my beliefs after that, I just didn't believe period. It kind of killed me inside, I felt lied to. There wasn't any explanation, there wasn't any questions, my parents just confirmed the dream was dead.
I wanted to be as honest as I could, still trying to keep the magic in her heart. So I looked back on good old TV for advice and thought about the movie A Year Without A Santa Claus when Iggy stopped believing. That moment helped me to understand the situation a lot more. There IS a Santa Claus, he lives in our hearts and gets to come out once a year, just like the dead on Halloween. There's no denying St. Nick existed, and I let her know that. I told her he was so special that we always want to celebrate his spirit. Santa may not be a physical being, but he lives in the season. Everyone becomes happier, we help the unfortunate, and get caught up in the corporate merchandising ideas. But we do it with a smile knowing our kids will love it.
She understands now. Better yet she has a new understanding, she is a dreamer with a big imagination, she believes in unicorns and their magic, in the same way she now believes in Santa, in her heart. She has a lot more questions now, and a lot more requests for presents, however, I think we did the right thing in this case. This isn't like the Easter Bunny, this is real magic. Don't break the news to your kids early and break their heart. Let them believe in that magic as long as possible. Find your own magic inside yourself. It's only once a year, you don't have to devote your life to following him, you don't have to be angry about presentation of the holiday, even armies lay down their weapons on Christmas.
Stay rad!
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