Stop Telling Your Children Their Expensive Gifts Are From Santa | The Odyssey Online
Start writing a post
Christmas

Dear Parents, Stop Telling Your Children Their Expensive Gifts Are From Santa

Children are raised with the belief that in order to get good presents on Christmas they must remain on their best behavior and only the best children receive the best gifts.

92
Dear Parents, Stop Telling Your Children Their Expensive Gifts Are From Santa

From December to November, both the idea of Santa and the fate of a child's Christmas list can be enough to make them be on their best behavior. I can definitely say that I have fallen victim to using the "Santa's watching" or "If you don't behave Santa won't bring you any good presents" excuse more than once when trying to get children I'm babysitting to behave. But rather one of the many tactics adults use to settle children down we should instead recognize the idea that we're drilling in children's heads. Children are raised with the belief that in order to get good presents on Christmas they must remain on their best behavior and only the best children receive the best gifts. This idea plays a major role in the purchasing of expensive gifts for children marked "from Santa." Modern youth grew up surrounded by technology, iPhones, iPads, laptops, gaming systems, etc. so they're bound to be placed on their Christmas lists.

The older I've gotten the more involved I've become in the Christmas shopping for my family, especially my younger sibling. I can see the stress that it puts on my entire family, the determination of my parents to provide us with some if not all of the desired gifts on our Christmas lists. Through this process, I've also gained an insight into others' Christmases and the shared struggle between families when it comes to providing enough of their children's desired gifts within their means.

When it comes to expensive gifts such as iPads, not every family is able to provide these gifts. When children wake up on Christmas morning and see that they didn't receive the gifts on their list it leads them to believe that they weren't good enough to deserve such a gift and that their friends are seen as better in Santa's eyes. This can be debilitating to a child's confidence and leads parents to feel so much more guilty for not being able to fit expensive gifts into their budget. That is why it's so important for parents to start taking credit for their children's more expensive gifts.

If you bought the iPad, take credit for it, and allow Santa to take credit for the smaller gifts and toys.

Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
Gilmore Girls
Hypable

In honor of Mother’s Day, I have been thinking of all the things my mom does for my family and me. Although I couldn’t write nearly all of them, here are a few things that moms do for us.

They find that shirt that’s right in front of you, but just you can’t seem to find.

Keep Reading...Show less
Relationships

10 Reasons To Thank Your Best Friend

Take the time to thank that one friend in your life you will never let go of.

6168
Thank You on wooden blocks

1. Thank you for being the one I can always count on to be honest.

A true friend will tell you if the shirt is ugly, or at least ask to borrow it and "accidentally" burn it.

2. Thank you for accepting me for who I am.

A best friend will love you regardless of the stale french fries you left on the floor of your car, or when you had lice in 8th grade and no one wanted to talk to you.

Keep Reading...Show less
sick student
StableDiffusion

Everybody gets sick once in a while, but getting sick while in college is the absolute worst. You're away from home and your mom who can take care of you and all you really want to do is just be in your own bed. You feel like you will have never-ending classwork to catch up on if you miss class, so you end up going sick and then it just takes longer to get better. Being sick in college is really tough and definitely not a fun experience. Here are the 15 stages that everyone ends up going through when they are sick at college.

Keep Reading...Show less
kid
Janko Ferlic
Do as I say, not as I do.

Your eyes widen in horror as you stare at your phone. Beads of sweat begin to saturate your palm as your fingers tremble in fear. The illuminated screen reads, "Missed Call: Mom."

Growing up with strict parents, you learn that a few things go unsaid. Manners are everything. Never talk back. Do as you're told without question. Most importantly, you develop a system and catch on to these quirks that strict parents have so that you can play their game and do what you want.

Keep Reading...Show less
friends
tv.com

"Friends" maybe didn’t have everything right or realistic all the time, but they did have enough episodes to create countless reaction GIFs and enough awesomeness to create, well, the legacy they did. Something else that is timeless, a little rough, but memorable? Living away from the comforts of home. Whether you have an apartment, a dorm, your first house, or some sort of residence that is not the house you grew up in, I’m sure you can relate to most of these!

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments