I have something shameful to admit. I played the Santa card the other day. Andrew often does a terrible (even by a four year old's standards) job brushing his teeth. His job often consists of sucking the water out of the toothbrush and saying he's done. Well, the other day I lost it. I told him that Santa watches how you brush your teeth and if a child does a poor job of brushing, he will bring only a toothbrush and no toys.
I couldn't believe it. When we became parents, I wasn't even sure that I wanted to perpetuate the whole Santa Claus myth. Yet, in a moment of weakness, I pulled Santa out of my back pocket in order to obtain a desired behavior. I told my husband, Hugh, and he chuckled.
The whole incident reminded us of something that happened in Hugh's class a few years ago. He taught Junior Kindergarten (Andrew's current grade) for 11 years. For a large portion of that time, he worked with a very sweet paraprofessional. Well, a few years ago, he had a group of completely feral children. It was a few days before the Christmas break (not called that) and the students were just bouncing off the walls. His assistant had a moment and shouted that she was calling Santa that night to report all the naughty behavior. Oddly enough, the kids got the message and calmed down.
If I really want to be philosophical, it's amazing the power that fiction has in our lives. One fat, old guy in a funny red suit and kids will straighten up their behavior.
4 comments:
I don't think I could have survived without playing the santa card at least once when my kids were little. It was never a direct threat, more like wondering aloud if santa might be watching them at this very moment.
I almost used the santa card on a total stranger at TJ Maxx the other day. There was this girl, about four years old, who kept whining loudly "Granny! I never get any toys! Granny just one toy, just one little toy! Granny!!!! you're so meeeeeeeeeaaaan!" I was THIS close...
second nature
You are so funny!
I had a roommate once who swore that when she had kids she was NEVER going to perpetuate the Santa myth. Then she got married and had a kid and a few years later I asked her whether she had carried through on her plan. She rolled her eyes and said, of course not. Santa came to their house just like everyone else's house.
I love your comment about the power of fiction.
And think about it this way. The idea of Santa isn't that everybody gets something no matter what. It's that Santa does check whether you are naughty or nice and acts accordingly. You are being true to the Santa myth. (I actually don't think Santa is a myth - I think Santa is real in a spiritual sense and the spirit acts through human agents - but that's a whole other conversation.)
OMG SN! I would have had to hold my tongue, literally. The teacher in my often pops out and I never hesitate to discipline a child in public.
How did Granny react to all of that whining?
Mary, your ex-roommate is a perfect example of "never say never."
I like the notion of the spirit of Santa. Kind, benevolent, and generous. I'm not a religious person, but it seems that Santa is kind of a secular stand in for a god-head. He may not heal sick people, but his reindeer fly, so that counts as a "miracle."
I know that he was based on the historical figure of a St. Nicholas. I need to read up more on St. Nick.
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