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Is There Really a Santa?
7 Tips to Help You Answer the Santa Question
By Thomas Haller and Chick Moorman, authors of The 10 Commitments: Parenting with Purpose
6. Mark this time in your child's life.
Treat this moment as a milestone and a developmental transition. Help your child recognize this moment as an indication that he is growing up. Help him transition out of the sadness of the loss of childhood and into the next stages of his development – being someone "in the know" about Santa. 7. Finally, invite your child to play a bigger role in the joy and spirit of giving.
Find a way for each child in your family to contribute to the spirit of giving so the focus stays on giving rather than on receiving. Ask your child to respect other children and allow them the opportunity to discover the answer to the Santa question on their own. Refrain from asking your child to join you in preserving the lie. Instead, ask her to join with what your family has established as the "reason for the season." If you take these suggestions to heart, it won't matter when the Santa question comes. Whether it comes after your trip to the mall to visit Santa, the night before Christmas or in the middle of July, you will be ready. Regardless of your child's reaction, your preparedness will carry you through.
