20 December 2007

The Truth About Santa


I knew this day would come, in fact, I thought it was going to happen sooner than it did, but it still made me just a bit embarrassed sad ...


In between bites of his Vanilla Creme Frosted Mini-Wheats this morning, and in a most serious tone, my 11 year old son asked, "Mom, is Santa real?"

I must have given him that look of Rudolph caught in the headlights of an 18-wheeler because he just scowled at me. I tried the "Santa is the spirit of Christmas" line which got me, "MOM! I asked if Santa is a real person!" Oh no! Caught in one of the BIGGEST parental lies out there. Now what?

So, I sucked it up and told the truth, of course not until I asked what he thought (gotta test the waters) before coming clean. When he told me he didn't think Santa was real, I spilled the brandied eggnog beans. No son, Santa isn't real. You mother has been lying to you for years now even though she spews the importance of always telling the truth.

I'm thinking the dirty deed is done, my son will now move on in life with the knowledge that his mother is a liar and a hypocrite Santa is not real, but NOOOOOO! He continues to rub it in my face. "So that means that Rudolph and the reindeer are not real? And all those times we sat watching Santa at the NORAD web site go across the country - that wasn't real either? But what about the Santa dollar that was left in my stocking that one year? That was a fake too??" Mommy guilt at it's finest ...

Just wait until he learns about the Easter Bunny and the Tooth Fairy!

16 comments:

MrRyanO said...

It is kind of sad when they lose the magic of Christmas. But soon enough the magic of women will replace that. LOL!

Unknown said...

IT worked he believed you....because I still cannot get the oldest at 15 to truly believe me...oh they know we buy presents but apparently we keep them so well fooled that they still wonder if there isn't a Santa....shoot Boo Bear thinks her daddy is Santa because of his beard...actually other kids do too, maybe I shouldn't let Papa Bear wear a Santa Hat in public?
Face it, as parents we lie...the kids better deal with it, right?

Leighann said...

I dread the day this happens at my house. I'm going to have FOUR little guilt trippers to deal with!

Jay said...

WOW He made it to 11 still believing? That's pretty good. It's a tough day for everyone, but it's a day that has to come.

When I was 6 I was arguing with my 8 year old sister that he wasn't real. She insisted that he was. It took me forever to convince her he wasn't.

Schmoop said...

Try this one when he hits puberty...Santa may not be real, but Jessica Alba is real, and she is spectacular. Cheers Dana!!

Dana said...

RockDog, we're already there ...

Sassy Lucy, he didn't want to believe me, but he clearly did.

Leighann, not only will you have 4 guilt trippers, but you'll have the oldest telling the younger ones!

Dana said...

Jay, he is the youngest and he believed the longest. He was certain ALL of the other kids were wrong.

Matt-man, we already had a discussion about the XXXsex search term I found in Google.

Diva said...

Don't ya just hate it when kids peg the topics that should just be left alone????

They are too smart for their own good!

Real Live Lesbian said...

The magic of boobs will soon enough turn his head and he'll forget all about the man in the red suit.

Dana said...

Divalicious, it was my intent that he would never hit puberty, but that's clearly not happening either.

RLL, makbe I should make a poster of the "holiday Kindness" chick and tell him THAT is the real Santa??

Meggie Mom Fantastic said...

So did he forgive you? Have a great holiday!

buffalodick said...

Well, you might as well make a night of it and tell him about Bigfoot, Ghosts, Aliens, The Loch Ness Monster, and Elvis.....

R.E.H. said...

Oh, I remember the day I found out Santa wasn't real. What a sad day that was... but like the comments here have already touched upon - I've found there's something much sweeter than Santa around, and it's name are women!

Anonymous said...

My 9 year old is getting pretty damn suspicious!

I'm hoping we at least make it through this Christmas before I break the news to him.

Dana said...

Meg, I think he may have although he wrote a new Christmas list and addressed it to "Mom & Dad since there is no Santa"

Buffalodickdy, not Elvis! I can't destroy the boy - he's only 11!

r.e.h., so is the discovery of the lie about Santa somehow directly related to the need for porn?

Preposterous Ponderings, I'm thinking we got pretty lucky making it until he was 11!

g-man said...

I think that so long as you didn't label any of his gifts "From Santa" this year you will be ok. OR you could totally screw with him and label ALL of them from Santa, and make one a lump of coal with a note saying that's for not believing. :)