at what age does it start to get stange to believe ... - Page 2

[Freedom~Mama]

Personally I think that is sweet. I think it really depends on the child and what their personality is like. My oldest DD is 5 and is very into playing pretend and believes in santa, easter bunny, etc. As for believing cartoon characters are real I think she knows they are not real but if she wants to play pretend and pretend she is a cartoon character (she loves to play pretend and be other people) that is fine with me. I always did that when I was a child and have always had a very rich imagination and am very creative so I don't think of it as a bad thing.

[VisionaryMom]

Originally Posted by rubidoux

Since we don't do any of this stuff, I'm wondering, are my children deprived? Am I robbing them of fantasy/make-believe life, or is it just as fun for them to understand that it really is fantasy/make-believe from te beginning?

No, your children aren't deprived. There are 2 issues that I think people confuse. One issue is being imaginative. Not allowing your children to make up stories and act them out or to pretend to be something would be stifling imagination. Imo, that's a problematic parenting choice.

The other issue isn't about imagination *at all*. Santa, CEC, etc. are not about imagination. They are about telling children that a fantasy is reality - much the opposite of imagination. I don't think there's any deprivation at all in not believing that any of those things are true. My children don't believe characters are real, but they can come up with amazing stories. The two issues really aren't the same.