It's Christmas time and that means that all of us who have children put on the wonderfully magical hat of the big man in red. This is probably my most favorite job that I inherited at the birth of my first child. I have gone to great lengths over the years to see that my children "BELIEVE." I have also never told my children who are grown and even the one that is married that I am Santa (even now it pains me to write that as I know she'll read this post and the cat will be out of the bag!) I have a book that I've been working on for years called Let's Get Our Stories Straight which is all about ways to do those special jobs we have as parents and if we would all do them more the same, our children could believe in the "magic well into their teens. I have done many years of research on this subject, I have asked many parents their ideas and then asked children their questions. I have come up with creative ways to address their questions and combined the great ideas I've gotten from parents. I recognize that every family carries out their Santa responsibilities differently and this is certainly your right as a parent to do it however you want to. My suggestions are simply that-suggestions.
I must address one last issue before beginning. In my research I have had some parents who say, "but it is lying to your kids and someday they will find out and not trust you. Someday they will wonder about all the other things you taught them because if you lied about this then what other things have you lied about."
To those parents I say this... Do they let their children ever make believe or act out their fantasies? Do they encourage pretend play such as fighting a dragon or sprinkling glitter around the bed to scare away monsters? Do they buy their children Superman capes and watch them jump from tall buildings made of couch cushions? Do they dress their little girls up in princess dresses and build them a castle out of a refrigerator box?
Part of healthy childhood emotional and cognitive development is imagination and pretend play. Child development experts recognize the importance of imagination and the role it plays in helping children learn to understand reality. Imagination is necessary for learning about people and events we don't actually experience.
"Whenever you think about the Civil War or the Roman Empire or possibly God, you're using your imagination," says Paul Harris, a development psychologist and professor at the Harvard Graduate School of Education who studies imagination. "The imagination is absolutely vital for contemplating reality, not just those things we take to be mere fantasy."
"For instance, there is evidence that imagination and role play appears to have a key role in helping children take someone else's perspective, says Dr. Harris. Kids with autism, on the other hand, don't engage in much pretend play, leading some to suggest that the lack of such activity contributes to their social deficits, according to Dr. Harris."
Soooo with that, lets all get ready for our most exciting job of the year! As my children get older and ask, "Is Santa real?" I always say, "The magic is real. The spirit of Santa is real."
He lives in each one of us. It is a magical thing to secretly buy and then wrap those presents and have them appear on Christmas morning and then lay awake the rest of the night so excited, but completely exhausted, thinking about the joy that will be on the faces of those children who gave us this job!
Tip #1: Hiding places are key! (this may be obvious but it will blow the magic more than any other thing if the presents are hidden where kids know where you hide and then snoop while your gone or accidentally see them because you left them on your closet floor until you could get to them.) Make sure you have your hiding place ready as soon as you start your shopping.
The best places I have learned are: empty suitcases, large black garbage bags that sit in a storage room or place the children rarely go and just look like a bag of garbage, or a bedroom with a lock that requires a key and cannot be compromised.
Next post: Gifts appropriate for Santa giving
No comments:
Post a Comment