Paws

Remember how you felt when your parents told you that Santa Claus was just a myth? Perhaps you felt damaged because they lied to you for so long and wondered, “What else did they lie to you about this holiday season?” Lying about Santa Claus can lead children to distrust their parents and undermine their motivation for good behavior.
A study conducted by Chris Boyle, a psychologist at the University of Exeter in the UK, found that 15% of respondents (1,200 people) said they felt betrayed by their parents, and 10% felt angry about being lied to. This can also undermine children’s motivation for good behavior. One point is that the good feeling of receiving gifts is appreciated as a value in itself; kids should learn to be kind even without the incentive of rewards.
Another revelation about lying about Santa Claus is that if parents don’t come forward to tell the truth, children will eventually learn about it through other means. If the announcement is made too early, holidays such as Easter may be questioned. Another consequence is that if parents can’t move Santa’s scout elf, kids may become sad because they think that they did something wrong. This creates controversy because some families can’t or won’t want to buy an Elf on the Shelf, which can confuse children when they see their friends with an elf and wonder why Santa didn’t give them one.
In the end, lying to children doesn’t benefit parents, because it can make their children distrustful when they get older.

Claws

You wake up to snow gently drifting outside your bedroom window. The sun is barely up, glinting across the silver stroked grass in your front yard. Stretching, you leap out of bed and rush downstairs energetically. It’s finally Christmas, and you can’t wait to see what Santa got you.
As a teenager, looking back at the warm memories during Christmas reminds me why it’s always been my favorite time of the year. Although it’s not as enchanting as it used to be, I’m still grateful that I got to experience it, as a child who believed in Santa Claus. It’s what made my Christmases magical.
Lying about Santa Claus can be seen as benevolent deception, like when you lie to someone for their own benefit. Parents don’t do any harm when they lie to their children about a character whose entire persona emits joy and creativity.
Daniel Beck, researcher on the Prindle Post, argues that lying is only justified if it has a good reason behind it.
“We want our children to also be generous and kind people, and it is more effective to give concrete examples of admirable generous people rather than simply telling our kids to be more giving,” Beck said.
Santa is an effective way to teach children moral lessons, and he is someone they can look up to because he gives so much without ever needing anything in return. We shouldn’t look at Santa as a cruel deception to children, but rather as a good example, someone who promotes kindness and ingenuity across the world.