If someone else's pre-schooler--a child of a relative or friend--asked you if Santa is real,

[pianistclare]

This reminds me of when my neighbor was pregnant and her 9 years old daughter came to my place telling me ‘My mom drank an egg so that a baby would grow in her stomach, why don’t you drink and egg Angie’. It was SO obvious the kids at school told the 9 year old the truth and this little 9 year old desperately wanted respect form an adult to do the same. I just kept saying ‘I don’t know, I never had kids I am not married’ And the 9 year old kept saying ‘You don’t need to be married you just need to drink and egg’

Looking back, I think I should have just told the parents to tell the kid to quit asking me those questions…but that would have been a sticky situation.

I do agree thought to NEVER overstep a parents boundary regardless of whether you agree with the situation or not

Angie

Wow. That poor kid. imagine her confusion when she found it out that it doesn’t happen like that AT ALL. Some boundary.

I don’t know why parents have to mess around with basic truths.
Then expect teachers and catechists to unravel these thing for them.
Talk about throwing people under a bus.
I can imagine you wanted to avoid that scenario like the plague!

 

[Anglewannabe]

Wow. That poor kid. imagine her confusion when she found it out that it doesn’t happen like that AT ALL. Some boundary.

I don’t know why parents have to mess around with basic truths.
Then expect teachers and catechists to unravel these thing for them.
Talk about throwing people under a bus.
I can imagine you wanted to avoid that scenario like the plague!

Actually, at the time I desperately wanted to be the adult that gave the child the respect to tell her the truth. But I just could not bring myself to overstep a parents decision. Sadly the last I heard she is now living with a controlling boyfriend that does not allow her to see her friends:sad_yes:

 

[Contra_Mundum_1]

I don’t do Santa with my kids. I can’t bring myself to tell another child what I don’t feel right saying to my own kids. I also wouldn’t dare to disrespect the authority of another parent who might feel exactly the opposite. (not to mention the mess that would result in - wouldn’t want to be in the middle of that).

I would say, “I think your Mommy and Daddy know the answer to that. You should ask them.” and change the topic as fast as I can, but if necessary repeat the idea that this is something to ask the parents, and that I’m not interested in the topic.

I hope that if my kids asked that question to someone else, they would do the same. Throwing it back at the parents is ALWAYS the best choice, regardless of whether the family does or doesn’t do Santa.

My thoughts exactly. I don’t do Santa and would direct other kids to their parents if the question came up.

 

[Maximilan_Kolbe]

“Hey kids, who wants Dum-Dums???”

https://encrypted-tbn2.gstatic.com/...UMlEbBwJDoEXQlLnvCaI3mK1YVFoI-iyUg1AD7TmVFC1s

 

[recentrevert]

It would probably not be a lie to say that Santa is real because Santa Claus is Saint Nicholas but it would be misleading. Do you really want to lose your integrity in the sight of another person just so that the parents who have dug their own pit (which sooner or later they must fall into) can save face? I would want to set a good example of respect for the truth and show that I in no way condoned their parents’ lie or the wrong they had done to the child in deceiving them.
Having said that, I would not want to cause trouble or make the children angry with their parents so I would probably just say ‘Saint Nicholas is real, he is in heaven’.