What is the point in telling our children false charecters such as the tooth fairy, santa claus, etc.?

I really don't understand the use.

What is the point in telling our children false charecters such as the tooth fairy, santa claus, etc.?
I think these characters are explained to children so they feel more secure, as though someone special is watching over them. Not all societies necessarily have this type of childrearing. But it can help encourage imagination and inquiry, since a smart child might start wondering and begin to investigate whether these characters are real. That can lead to personal independence.
Reply:Children have the ability to believe in magic, whereas adults are too world-weary and practical to believe. Adults remember the special feeling of genuine wonderment they had as children, and often pass the stories of those characters onto their children because it represents innocence and capacity to believe in magic.





*edit*


Learning that magic isn't real is another 'rite of passage' that a child must go through. I've never heard of anyone being truly depressed once they've made the transition - if anything, children often feel cleverer for knowing the 'truth' when younger siblings or friends don't. Children are eager to grow up - they stubbornly say "I don't believe in santa!" to prove that they have 'grown up' past that stage. They are proud of their intelligence. I don't think any harm is done to children, by 'tricking' them into believing in magic - I don't think there is a breakdown of trust or a special development of thinking that all lies are okay.
Reply:The use is fun and wonder.





you seem to think that if they are only told truths, that they will attain something that being told fairy tales will stifle.





Can you explain what you think the fairy tales can harm in their development?





EDIT: as for picking up the vibe that lies are ok, I'm sure that children get this difference between fairy tales and "lies".





besides which, every single person I know lies about something every single day. There is plenty of opportunity to pick up that lies are "ok"
Reply:yeah and what about when they believe in those things with all their heart... and they also believe in Jesus with all their heart... and you tell them that santa and the easter bunny aren't real... but that jesus still is... think they are going to still believe in your religion with all their heart??? probably not.





it's when the tooth fairy and santa are personified that you run into problems. otherwise, the spiritual valueand storytelling aspect can still be important to the imagination andchildren can keep their religious integrity...





(i am looking at this from an entirely unbiased point of view and minus any religious affiliation.)
Reply:Are you so distanced from your childhood, or was it so bad a time for you that you don't want to do anything to remember and recreate it for your own children? Or is it that you think that children should not have a childhood? That they should start to worry about adult problems as soon as they are old enough to understand what stress and anxiety are?


These stories are part of the magic of childhood, an innocence and purity of belief that should not be denied by the cynicism of adulthood. It's part of what makes kids...kids. Don't deny them the pleasure of that belief just because you, yourself, have no capacity for touching your own childhood memories, but rather help foster that innocent magic for the next generation. It harms no-one, costs nothing and makes things a little more hopeful for the next generation.


In other words, don't be such a cynical,curmudgeonly twit! Give the kids a chance to enjoy childhood.
Reply:I never told my children about any of those and they turned out allright.
Reply:I remember being devastated and then on Sunday when it was time for church I told my parents...Hey, I'm not falling for this God thing either, so I'll see ya when you get home. Of course they made me go but even at a young age I gave them something to think about........wow maybe this is where my trust issues came from!





BTW - as an adult I'm glad I had the chance to believe and did the same to my children too.





The point was to believe in magic and to use our imagination!


They got us to be good wih Santa and pulled our loose teeth for the tooth fairy...it worked!
Reply:You tell many lies to children - "You can do anything if you try hard enough", "No one can hurt you as long as I'm around", and "Good always triumphs over evil".





You say these things because you don't want to create distracting fears or "short" limitations for them before they've had a chance to find their true limitations (and talents) as they grow older.





You tell children of Santa Claus and the tooth fairy for similar reasons. It gives them an image of goodness, fairness, and generosity that does not truly exist in the real world, in the hope that just a little of it will stick before the real world is thrust upon them with age and maturity.





Strangely, most children realize this after the truth is revealed. Few mentally-balanced persons hold ill-will for these lies, and in fact hold nostalgic appreciation for that bit of childlike optimism these stories afforded them while they lasted.
Reply:Fact they were brought into the fore ground as festivals (people don't live very well without some form of celebrations) to satisfy a need.





They gained iconic status as they were immortalised through media such as film, until today's token thought.





The tooth fairy came from a time where superstition about where parts of your body ended up was rife, as in you wanted to know what the barber did with your hair to be sure nobody was making a vodo doll out of it.





It was probably also affective in changing what must of been a frightening experience for a child into a good one a positive outcome


you're not losing a tooth your gaining a shiny coin.


...i don't like the tooth fairy it leads to some children who always take the game too far extracting their body parts for payment - its not something which should be positively encouraged.





Santa Clause might be a real nice fairy story, when your poor it means you spent all the money and not got a single thank you, it no longer helps to build respect or install good values in children.





But i do like the idea of Santa...
Reply:I reckon - just to keep their mind open to new ideas, possibilities,


to inject a little magic into their lives,


to speak about golden values which are relevant today, in a form they will understand - the purest form. the oldest form. storytelling.





I prefer to make up my own ones,


like Endo the Smallest Bear, who lived forever in a dark castle, until he escaped into the golden forest, to return as a brave bear and defeat the wicked king of the dark castle.





aaah. so much fun. storytime is always a wonderful way to connect with and talk to your kids.



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