Santa

I think Santa is a bizarre concept - a group lie that we tell children, then ridicule them for believing. Ambiently I was previously against telling my children about Santa because I think the general sentiments around the holidays of generosity, thoughtfulness, and quality time with friends and family are more important than "reliving the magic" of belief. That being said, I don't think my aversion to the concept was deliberate, and more a result of my general distaste for the way that adults tend to treat children.

I think I have been convinced that telling my children Santa is real (or at least acting as if Santa is real) is overall a good thing for a few reasons:

• it will hopefully result in the child thinking rationally about whether Santa is real, and considering critically whether a part of their worldview is realistic
• it will force them to confront me about lying to them for years
• it is a low-stakes environment for both of the above

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