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> It would be pretty awful to lie [...] to your kid about the existence of imaginary holiday characters True. But people do it, regularly and consistently, and
by grkvlt 10y ago
> It would be pretty awful to lie [...] to your kid about the existence of imaginary holiday characters
True. But people do it, regularly and consistently, and in fact protect their children from finding out about said lies, with ever more complex mechanisms. But, strangely, most people who do this seem to think it's a good thing to lie like this. Not sure why, and I suspect it sets a bad example to children that adults are not to be trusted, as they make things up. And that it is OK to do it, since there are no bad consequences for the adults, so why not lie themselves?
- jessaustin 10y agoAre you around kids much? They certainly don't need any encouragement to lie! It has long been my policy to tell my young nieces and nephews really obvious lies on a regular basis, just to let them practice their critical thinking. I love the looks of dawning realization and the swiftly following cries of "nuh-uh!" My oldest niece has heard enough of these that she just smirks when she hears another one. Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny are sort of an internal critique of Christianity. Sadly I think this critique goes over most people's heads, and their eventual disillusionment is more upsetting as a result. Still, parents have to try. To give away the game, I don't actually think there's anything wrong with this particular lie.