After the Toothfairy incident, and the daily reports I get from the kids on the playground talk, I was fairly certain that they'd figure out the whole Santa gig.
I firmly believe that when they ask, or doubt, I won't be the mom who says, "Well, if you don't believe, you won't receive." Because to me, that also sounds like a well-orchestrated head-in-the-dirt abstinence campaign from Texas - which by the way, has a high rate of teen pregnancy. Along with "If you masterbate, you'll go blind" or "Coffee stunts your growth." All I'm sayin is I'm tall and have great eye sight.
We grow it . We tell them not to talk to strangers, or what's appropriate and not appropriate. Then we tell them there's a frikkin old man who breaks into the house. But first they have to sit on his lap and smile and tell him what you want. Gross. And THEN - "santa's watching" "you better be good, santa knows when you're sleeping, he knows when you're awake." Sounds like a dirty old stalker man to me. So, I vow to not hold on to the dream and put off any explanation with, "If you don't believe - you don't receive."
My plan is to explain to our kids what's the real deal with Santa. That WE go through all that for them. And that is what is all magical and stuff! Who's with me?
Don't get me wrong, I still want them to believe. I'm not ruining it for them. I'm letting them figure it out on their own. Or because some shtup older brother of Kid X, Y, or Z at First Grade Playground Chat has ruined it for them. I just hate that some day I'll have to admit that the punk ass kid is right. When that punk is 20 and at a thriller movie, like Seven, he's going to lean over and tell them what's in the box. He'll have a lifetime of crushing dreams and fizzing out any joys of anticipation and delight. That's what I really hate about my kids losing the dream of Santa.
So, the kids have been suggesting, mainly Lucy, that some kids at school say there's no Santa. It does make me sad. But I just keep listening, because she keeps talking.
Tonight, we're reading, and Max has picked out a lovely book about Santa - sort of. It's a really cute story. In the middle of it, Santa shows up - and Lucy's eyes get real big, huge smile, and then she shouts:
"I TOLD you there is a Santa Clause!"
Yes, sweetie, you must believe EVERYTHING YOU READ! So, thanks Max. You bought me another year. Whew!
No I have to go get ready for Halloween - you know, the holiday where we dress our kids up real cute like and send them to take candy from strangers...
That's how I roll.
