Forcing an elaborate Santa Claus or Easter Bunny story on children serves no good purpose for child or parent, child psychologist Bruce Henderson of Western Carolina University told MSNBC. It’s more of a loss of that magical part of childhood.”īest said she is not aware of any research showing that the myth of Santa is damaging to children.īut both she and Delahooke do agree with the authors on one point: the concept of Santa – and his modern accomplice, the Elf on the Shelf – as part of an all-seeing North Pole intelligence agency, constantly watching and judging whether a child is naughty or nice, could be scary for children. Many psychologists say you should let your kids take the lead when discussing the Easter Bunny or Santa Claus. “They’re disappointed in the magic going away, but I’m not so sure that they’re angry at their parents about lying. “I think most children are disappointed when they find out that their parents are Santa Claus,” she said. So they do have a developmental purpose.”īest acknowledges that children will likely be affected when they learn Santa isn’t real – but not in the way Boyle and his co-author Kathy McKay describe in their Lancet article. In that way it is similar to fairy tales, which help children master a different range of emotions and what the reality of real life is. “Up to a certain age, people aren’t able to distinguish between real and pretend, so for children, what they experience is joy through their imagination. “ Fairy tales and make-believe help children master the transition to the reality of real life,” she told CBS News. Mona Delahooke, PhD, a pediatric psychologist specializing in early child development, agrees that make-believe can play a key role in children’s development. “If you go into any preschool, kids love to play dress-up. “It’s something really special to them,” she said.
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