yet another Santa question! DD h=found out about him on her own, really likes him and believes...

[sisteeesmama]

DD is 2 and has seen Santa at the mall with my mom, on TV and in movies and in books at story time and really really likes the whole idea.
She talks about him and asks about him and I am starting to rethink my whole position!

I believed in Santa when I was little and my mom and Grandparents were into the whole thing, but when I started to doubt and asked my mom she continued to tell me he was real and never waivered and I felt lied to.

I thought as a mom we would tell the story of Santa and always qualify it with the explanation that it is just pretend, but now I am wondering what the harm would be to play along as long as when she asks, if she asks, we tell her what we really believe?

I don't know what to do!?!

[ssh]

I think if you honestly answer a child's questions when they start to ask they won't feel lied to. I didn't and I figured it out when I was 6. I was told it was a pretend game we all play to make things more fun.

[thedenverduo]

I don't know if this idea will work for you, since it might depend a lot on religious/spiritual beliefs. But, my parents had a pretty happy medium going on. They told me the story of St. Nicholas and all the things he did. And then talked about how Santa Claus (St. Nick) is based off of him. I always looked at Santa as a reminder of Saint Nicholas. This approach allowed me to realize that he wasn't real (in the sense that one guy flies around the whole world in one night), but that I could still have fun with him (write him letters, sing songs, see someone dressed up like him at the mall, etc.) because I understood what was behind it. Then as I got older I never felt lied to, and eventually got more interested in the other elements of Christmas and less interested in Santa Claus.