“I know your Santa mum”….. my son said to me after school. He’s 9! I think he’s known a while but was too scared to let on in case it all just STOPPED. The plentiful sack of gifts and general ‘spoiling’ that happens as part of the world’s best kept secret.
My eldest daughter had the magic broken last year and I felt like ~ #shitmum! She even said … ‘why did you lie to me mum?’
I look into her trusting eyes and felt I needed to repair a lifetime of lies… so I told her the truth and explained that whilst I knew I was lying I didn’t lie to cause you hurt or pain, I lied because I wanted to make magical childhood memories for you, because when I was a little girl, some of my fondest childhood memories involved the magic (lies) of Christmas and the stories behind the big fat man, dressed in red with a white fluffy beard. Waking up to a pillowcase full of toys at the foot of the bed, eating shitloads of sweets from breakfast through to dinner, and the obligatory satsuma and apple in the stocking (to juggle with) ….. she looked confused at that point as I haven’t duplicated that bit!
One of our family rules are … ‘Don’t lie’ … it’s not just a rule it’s a ‘commandment’ and yet I feel like I am sat in my hypocritical tower as I have pretty much lied to them all their lives…
Put your tooth under your pillow the tooth fairy will leave you money! Omitting the small fact that I AM that fairy, the elephairy without a tutu, not small enough to fit in a thimble, I don’t fart glitter and I am not friends with Peter Pan.
Don’t pick dandelions, you will wet the bed! WHO ever started that??? I literally didn’t pick dandelions for YEARS because I was terrified that this would happen, and then one day I picked one! Guess what! I pissed the bed… I think I subconsciously I told myself that this was going to happen. Never forget the mind is a powerful tool.
Eat crusts you’ll get curly hair! I must of ate shitloads of crusts!!
Eat carrots they will help you see in the dark! I ate carrots and I am still blind as a bat.
Don’t lie otherwise you get purple spots on your tongue! Toby STILL sticks his tongue out when he is defending his honour, pointing towards his tongue in a frantic ‘believe me’ fashion, saying ‘see I am NOT lying’ which is quite hard to say with your tongue in the way!
Now, I love magic, and all things majestical, anything that can capture your mind and take you away from reality is wonderfully captivating, things that can envelope the imagination and take you away on a journey. It’s just magical.
I think Harry Potter and all the many wizards would agree that Hogwarts was the seed that grew into a phenomenon with the help of JK Rowlings imagination and need for all things magic.
When you’re a child that window to create magic and fairytales is a mere snippet, at age 1, 2, and 3 you don’t have clue and prefer chocolate and cardboard boxes then toys and at 8,9,10 and beyond, sadly parents are replaced by their friends and the virtual online world, snapchat filters of dogs and social media become more enchanting then the magical one.
So, if you struggle with the biggest lie of all time and ask yourself if it’s acceptable to lie to a child when it means you’re giving them a childhood full of memories, or whether it’s our way to reason out the hypocrisy of it all.
I say take that five-year window and create magical memories and family traditions that will be remembered and duplicated forever.
Teach them that believing in anything, no matter what it is, makes anything possible.
.… now when we do the snack for Santa and he gets a big fancy GIN and elderflower tonic with a Freddo Frog, I will look at my eldest two children and offer them a cheeky wink and smile knowing they are now in on THE SECRET too.
I was feeling content and happy with how I had handled the Santa scenario and then Isla started asking me questions about the bloody elf on the shelf on the way to school….
Mummy, Ellie has an elf that is woken by magic every night and he gets up to cheeky stuff while she’s asleep. Will he visit our house??
……..Errrrrr doubt it…. I have four elves called Lilly-Ella, Toby, Isla and Esme that get up to enough cheeky stuff thanks….!!
EVERYTHING IN MODERATION, RIGHT? Even the Magic and Lies.
Just That Girl Kelly 