Unmasking Santa -- Should Parents Lie?

(PRWEB) December 7, 2004

Children who still believe in Santa Claus after the age of eight, are at risk of being ostracized and made fun of by the majority of non believers -- Their peers. They are more likely to find out that Santa is only make believe, in a cruel fashion from their peers, opposed to their parents gently breaking the news.
Los Angeles child Psychologist, Robert R. Butterworth, Ph.D., advises parents to, "answer all questions about Santa Claus in a way that doesn't insult their child's age or intelligence but if a child is in the third grade, they are ready and able to accept the premise that to believe in the existence of Santa Claus isn't logical."
When a child nears this stage, they will begin to question: The ability of one man to deliver a virtually infinite number of presents in one night to children all over the world; . How a fat man can fit down a chimney; The fact that reindeer can't fly; How to justify the number of Santa Claus' that appear in department stores and street corners; How Santa knows if a child has been good in the past year.
According to Butterworth who reviewed the past psychological research pertaining to children and Santa Claus, "Studies indicate that only 25 percent of eight-year-olds believe in Santa Claus, with over half, 55 percent of eight-year-olds going through a transitional period in which they are undecided on whether he exists. the majority of children under 7 believe with 85 percent at age 4 solid believers in Santa."
Butterworth found that belief in Santa after the age of eight, when most don't believe, can confuse a child and can possibly be detrimental to a child's social development. "Children who still believe in Santa after the age of eight, are at risk of being ostracized and made fun of by the majority of non believers--their peers. They are more likely to find out that Santa is only make believe, in a cruel fashion from their peers, opposed to their parents gently breaking the news," Dr....