> Eventually the kid will find out that Santa Claus doesn't exist, and
> indeed *could not* exist given his purported powers. Hopefully the
> realization will come that adults' beliefs (or espoused beliefs) are not
> necessarily true, so maybe similar myths involving magical characters
> withholding gifts contingent on displaying regulated behavior will be
> examined more critically.
Honestly, does anyone here remember feeling crushed or lied to when they
"discovered" that Santa wasn't real? Am I the only one that thought it
was a "make believe" game like so much of childhood is and continued with
the farce for years after I knew it was just that?
You forget that kids understand the power of "make believe", it's only
adults that label such things as "crazyness" or "religion" or
"irrationality" in order to dismiss them.
-Prof. Tim