Perpetuating the Christmas lie “undermines kids’ ability to think”

Queensland child psychologists are at odds about whether parents should perpetuate the Santa myth. What do you think? VOTE IN OUR POLL

DON’T lie to kids about Santa, as it undermines their self-worth and the ability to think for themselves.

That’s the advice from one of Queensland’s educational psychologists — but the thinking is not backed by all child experts.

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Australian Catholic University’s Ameneh Shahaeian told The Courier-Mail parents should tell kids who question Santa’s existence he is a fictional character, and they also should not interfere if older siblings spill the beans to younger children.

But psychologist Michael Carr-Gregg emphatically disagrees with the modern thinking that parents shouldn’t perpetuate the Santa fantasy.

“What is wrong with the world?” Dr Carr-Gregg said.

“It is delightful how excited kids are when they are caught up in the fantasy of Christmas.

“I don’t believe there is any evidence that they are being harmed. It would be a bleak place without Santa.”

The Santa myth has never been so hard to uphold than in this information age, Dr Shahaeian says.

“A lot more information passes through the world of small children today than it did generations ago,” she said.

“They are more aware and more able to distinguish between reality and fantasy.

“Children developmentally start to work things out at the age of five or six, and some earlier.

“They will start to question how Santa got into the house, or is that actually Santa at the local shopping centre.

“This is probably the time to tell them that Santa is not real but an imagined fictional character.

“I think that parents and families can work out a way to keep the magic in Christmas without telling a series of lies.

“Communication is the key. Talk to the kids about the fictional character of Santa and engage them in the imagining of his world.”