Adults should not lie to their children about Santa because the lie is “deceitful” and could cause serious harm in the long term according to top experts.
While most parents believe there is nothing wrong with introducing Santa to their children, several experts now claimed that lies – even those with good intentions – can have serious consequences on children’s development.
Among the critics of the magical story behind Christmas gifting is developmental psychologist Dr. Ameneh Shahaeian who told The Conversation that “adults should not lie to children about Santa.”
“When a child asks the question as to whether Santa is real or not, they’re already at a developmental stage to distinguish between reality and fictional characters,” she said.
“When children reach this developmental stage, it’s not helpful if we lie to them about a fictional character such as Santa.”
Agreeing with this claim was Queensland University of Technology’s senior lecturer Dr. Rebecca English who branded the lie about Santa as “morally ambiguous.”
“You shouldn’t lie about Santa because you are encouraging your children, usually with made-up proof, to believe a morally ambiguous lie,” she explained.
“I’m not alone in being devastated learning of my parents’ elaborate deceit about Santa, leaving me to wonder what other lies they had told. Santa supposedly encourages imagination but, you’re really asking children to suspend criticality and believe a fiction.”
Urging parents to consider the negative impact the lie may have on kids was also Dr. Peter Ellerton of The University of Queensland who compared Santa to stories that parents tell children when they want to avoid telling them unpleasant truths about life.
“But consider what must follow from the Santa story If only good children get presents, what does that say about poor families? What value judgments are being formed? What if children themselves are poor? How does this narrative impact their sense of self-worth?” the senior lecturer questioned.
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