Most parents have been through the song and dance of the Santa myth. Many parents are also unsure, whether it is a good idea to keep the children’s faith in Santa alive.
In fact, it seems that it can be good for a child, if the parents support them in their belief in Santa and allow them to puzzle out his existence for themselves, since there are multiple developmental benefits associated with the process of discovering the truth for themselves.
Thinking outside the box
Developmental researcher at Concordia University Kirsten Dunfield, has done a lot of research on children’s trust and here the Santa myth plays a significant role.
She says that there is nothing, which indicates that their belief in imaginary beings have any negative effects. On the contrary, research within developmental phycology indicates that believing in Santa Claus and the tooth fairy can have positive effects.
For example, the children will learn something about what is realistic and what’s not when hearing stories of flying reindeer or the staggering number of houses Santa has to visit on the 24th of December. The ability to differentiate between reality and fantasy is crucial. If the brain learns to use logic and fantasy, and to differentiate between the two, it increases the ability to be creative and create solutions.
In short, children learn to think outside the box by contemplating the mystery of Santa.
The children will figure it out
The majority of children believe in Santa when they are young. But despite the convincing and magical tale of the jolly bearded man in red, most children will have stopped believing by the age of eight.
At that age most children will start to notice that Santa Claus is doing things, which are simply not possible. I.e. flying a sled across the night sky. While young children will be concerned with where Santa Claus lives, the older children will question how he travels all over the globe in a single night.
A good lie
You are not a bad parent, if you allow your child to believe in Santa Claus. On the contrary, if you, like many others, worry how your children will react when they discover the truth, then you can be at ease. A study has concluded that it is mainly the parents who struggle when their children stop believing in Santa. As a rule, the children are fine.
