Is Santa Claus Real?

Last week we read several discussions on different debatable topics. The one I found the most interesting was the one that discussed whether parents should tell their children that Santa Claus isn’t real. If parents did want to tell their children, the next question was when they should tell their children. The first essay entitled, “The Importance of Imagination,” by Alison Gopnik, a professor of psychology, stated that Santa is good for children because it helps them expand their imaginations. It allows them to see the world in different ways, which will help them become more innovative and creative as they grow. Gopnik believes that Santa helps the children exercise their imagination, which helps them envision different ways the world could be. She says that when the time comes, you can tell your children that Santa is an invention of the human mind but until then it is good to play along with your child. This essay had the most effect on me because I think it gave good advice and pointed out some of the very positive effects Santa has on children that are rarely thought about by most adults.

The second essay was entitled, “Yes, Fiona, There isn’t a Santa Claus,” and was written by Karen Karbo, a novelist and memoirist. She explained that when her daughter was eight, she came across a present she really wanted for Christmas but the problem was it was too close to Christmas to put on her official Christmas list so she made a last minute request to Santa. Her father secretly bought her the present she had wanted and she was ecstatic. This only reinforced her belief that Santa was real, but the Easter after that Christmas, she began to ponder whether the Easter bunny was real and her mother finally told her the truth about not only the Easter bunny but also the Tooth Fairy and Santa. She decided that even though she knew the truth she wanted to believe for a few more years anyway. The girl, Fiona, was eight years old. I think that her mother did the right thing about telling her daughter the truth when she asked. I also think she did the right thing but not telling her daughter the truth too soon, even though many children her age already knew that Santa was imaginary. I think that a parent should not tell their children that Santa isn’t real until the child begins to ask questions and even then they should give their children time to form their own opinions about whether they think what Santa does is possible or not.

I searched this topic further on the internet and found tons of other websites that had many other debates about the same topic. This article seemed to be saying that it is good to tell your children the truth about Santa Claus. According to this article, a study was done in 2005 that concluded that most children aren’t saddened when they find out the truth about Santa Claus; most children find out the truth around age seven. The kids said that finding out the truth about Santa Claus made them feel much older. Another interesting point is that some parents may be prolonging to tell their children the truth for their own benefit because they feel that if their children don’t believe anymore their innocence has been taken away. I would agree with most of the issues brought up in this article because I remember that upon finding out about Santa Claus I was not saddened but rather happy that I knew because it made me feel older and more knowledgeable. The fact was that even though I knew that Santa wasn’t real, I also knew that on Christmas morning I would still be able to wake up to a pile of presents under the Christmas tree, which is what every child looks forward to.