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I'd wondered when that would happen
Dec. 21st, 2020 08:34 amA couple of weeks ago, ARR announced that he didn't think there was a Tooth Fairy. After some discussion with him, I told him he was correct and he was very pleased with himself for having figured it out. A day or two later, he informed a Zoom call of relatives about the lack of Tooth Fairy, but assured them Santa Claus was real, though.
Last night, after bedtime, he came down and said he thought Santa wasn't real, either.
As bedtime-extenders go, it's a good one, although a card you can only play once. I sat down with him and we talked. He said the magic reindeer thing didn't make sense. I agreed, and read him The Polar Express, which I've been saving for this moment his entire life, and told him that Santa isn't a real person but the magic of Christmas was inside us and we had to be Santa. And for a minute, he curled up on my lap, a little crushed. I think he hadn't realized himself that he wanted me to tell him that, no, Santa is real. But that's, well, a card you can only play once. But he bounced back - we never put a lot of emphasis on Santa. One present a year, a decent one but not the most coveted one, no letters or visits with Mall Santa. (My little brother took the whole thing really hard. I saw how hard that was for both him and my mom. I set up my Santa strategy from the very beginning to avoid it being catastrophic.) Just, you know...admitting that there really is no magic in the world, which is a hard thing.
He's just a little bit older today.
Last night, after bedtime, he came down and said he thought Santa wasn't real, either.
As bedtime-extenders go, it's a good one, although a card you can only play once. I sat down with him and we talked. He said the magic reindeer thing didn't make sense. I agreed, and read him The Polar Express, which I've been saving for this moment his entire life, and told him that Santa isn't a real person but the magic of Christmas was inside us and we had to be Santa. And for a minute, he curled up on my lap, a little crushed. I think he hadn't realized himself that he wanted me to tell him that, no, Santa is real. But that's, well, a card you can only play once. But he bounced back - we never put a lot of emphasis on Santa. One present a year, a decent one but not the most coveted one, no letters or visits with Mall Santa. (My little brother took the whole thing really hard. I saw how hard that was for both him and my mom. I set up my Santa strategy from the very beginning to avoid it being catastrophic.) Just, you know...admitting that there really is no magic in the world, which is a hard thing.
He's just a little bit older today.
