For “S,” I'll be listening to System Of a Down, “Mezmerize,” if anyone's interested. I'll just warn you ahead of time, it's late and I'm pretty sacked-out, so this will likely be a pretty short post.
Something that's concerned me about parenting is Santa, and his Easter and tooth-loss counterparts. As parents, I'll need to rely on the trust of my children. When I say “(s)he's no good for you...” or “Heroin and crack will make you a useless leech on society, and will probably kill you.” I'm hoping that they will trust me enough to not go out shooting-up, or going into shady places because they need to see for themselves.
I may be taking a naive point of view on this, but it seems that if they spend the first 8-10 years of their life being told of Santa, and other fanciful creatures, they may not have the trust in their parents when it really counts. “Sweety, that car looks cool, but it'll cost you more than it's worth.” “Sure Daddy, ten years ago, it was rabbits spreading chocolate through the house, now you just don't want me to have this cool car.”
Of course, many argue that those fights of fancy are what make childhood so wonderful. What do ya'll think?
But “S” also stands for one of the best things about having kids; I now have an excuse to have Dr Seuss books in the house. Apparently, I've got a soft spot for nonsensical rhymes: “Ten tired turtles in a tuttle tuttle tree.” (Wrong letter, but that's the one I remember off the top of my head :P )
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Very interesting issues here, we instill in our children not to talk to strangers, go into a strangers car and all that then we encourage them to sit on "Santa's knee " in his grotto.
ReplyDeleteHow do we know that Santa is as pleasant as he is supposed to be,
We have to hope and pray that our children/grandchildren in my case are bright enough to trust their families about drugs,drink and the like.
Take care.
Yvonne.
haha interesting post. My parents played the little Santa, and Easter Bunny card on us. And its really no big deal. Cause as kids we realize on our own that Santa and all those fairytale creatures are not real. However its always a fond memory of my childhood. I still trust my parents 100% because I know that they know whats best for me. By giving me that little thought to play with as a child they gave me hope then as well. In a way it teaches us to tell the difference between whats real and whats not.
ReplyDeleteI love Dr. Seuss!
ReplyDeleteMy favorite Dr. Seuss quote is:
Those who matter don't mind and those who mind don't matter.
Happy Earth Day!
I remember Dr. Seuss.
ReplyDeleteI don't have kids, but I can see how that could be a dilemma.
You've got a very valid point there Will... My 3 year old is at the point where she's starting to "understand" these things. I don't want to take the "magic" of Christmas away from her, but I do try my best to explain to her what Christmas is really about. I think if the deeper understanding of these "events" is solid, then the added extras like Santa becomes sort of like the candles on their birthday cake - a "nice to have" not a "need to have".
ReplyDeleteIf we cement good values and morals and a good relationship with God in their formative years, we as parents have done what we can. Unfortunately, there comes a time when they start making their own choices, and we can but pray that what we've taught them will lead them in the right direction.
I posed this topic as a debate question back before Christmas. I think the stories about Santa and such are fun just like fairy tales, Disney,and Dr. Seuss are just fine, but they should all be treated as just pretend like they are real type stories and not fact. With my kids I always played the Santa and Easter Bunny "game" but I never pressed it as a reality and the kids grasped the reality of it pretty quickly as they grew older. Watching the wide-eyed wonderment of a child taken up in unsullied imagination is thrilling whether it be seeing Santa at the mall and waiting for his arrival at Christmas or meeting Mickey Mouse at Disneyland. Fantasy is fun as long as it is kept in proper perspective and balanced with reality as the ruling force.
ReplyDeleteLee
A to Z Challenge Reflections Mega Post
"Ichabod is itchy, so am I!" Love Dr. Seuss and read him MANY times to my boys. :)
ReplyDeleteI think it's important to have these childhood treasures of Santa, Tooth Fairy and Easter Bunny. I don't have a specific reason, just that it's a wonderful part of being a kid. Honestly, I don't think the trust thing will ever come up in regards to them. Just my opinion.