Parents Choose to Believe Santa

 Traditional Santa Claus – Photo by Vera Kratochvil 

 (This is an opinion on the article Should parents lie to children about Santa? from Sciencedaily.com on November 25, 2016.)

We’ve heard it all before – Santa is real, so they say.

He’s making a list and checking it twice – trying to find out who’s naughty and nice.

It’s one of the most enduring fantasies of all time.

Why do adults continue to tell this to their children?

 According to the authors of Lancet Psychiatry’s A wonderful lie (psychologist Christopher Boyle and mental health researcher Kathy McKay of the University of Exeter, UK):

Millions of parents convince their kids Father Christmas is real — but this lie may be damaging, according to psychologist Christopher Boyle and mental health researcher Kathy McKay.They also suggest parents may not be motivated by purely creating magic for their children, but by a desire to return to the joy of childhood themselves.

Furthermore:

“Many people may yearn for a time when imagination was accepted and encouraged, which may not be the case in adult life.” The essay concludes: “Might it be the case that the harshness of real life requires the creation of something better, something to believe in, something to hope for in the future or to return to a long-lost childhood a long time ago in a galaxy far far away?

We believed this myth as children because of our great trust in our parents.

But come to think of it, the Santa myth is really for the little child in all of us.

To most of us, this myth brings joy and happiness to the harsh realities of everyday adult life. This lie makes us appreciate and enjoy the holidays even more.

As another year ends and another one is fast approaching, we’re given a chance to focus more on what’s ahead than what’s behind; and that’s a great reason to be happy and hopeful!

Happy holidays!

- See more at: http://awinaway.com/2016/12/14/parents-choose-to-believe-santa/#sthash.Xa5gUGk9.KcylAQ42.dpuf