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Let's debate Santa
Maybe I'm not as sensitive as I should be, but it never bothered me like it does some parents to indulge the fantasy of Santa. To me, it's the magic of childhood that you still believe in magic. But there is the issue of lying. Does that bug anyone?
There's also the materialism, with some worrying that all that stuff skews the focus of Christmas away from spiritual meanings.
The other issue I'm wondering is what age do most kids stop believing? We might have been on a "don't ask, don't tell" basis for a few years to keep the gravy train humming, but I think part of him just didn't want to know.
When he started asking questions like, "Some people say Santa's not real," I felt that first pang of guilt that he'd feel betrayed
if I told him I'd been lying to him all these years. So what I came up with was a political non-answer that would do any congressman proud. I'd say, "Yes I know some people say that and that's OK for them, but I still believe, and I think Christmas is more fun." That way I was giving him room to say the party was over, but I wasn't giving away anything if he still wanted to believe.
--Sharon Kennedy Wynne
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[Yep, that's Ralphie wishing he was asking for his BB gun instead of a football in 1983's "A Christmas Story"]
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Raising children isn't easy. Whoa, Momma! is here to help you with parenting tips and discussion of all parenting issues. We think there's no such thing as TMI, so our blogging moms aren't shy about the hot topics and won't back away from a good debate. Bottle or breastfeed? Public, private or homeschool? And sex -- it's all open for comment. Don't sit on the sidelines -- pull up a bouncy seat and join the chat.
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THE AUTHORS
Sharon Kennedy Wynne has sunscreen in her blood. She may have been born in Buffalo but she got here as fast as she could, in time for kindergarten. She grew up in St. Petersburg, graduated from the University of Florida journalism school, and even got married at Sunken Gardens. She's one of the few adults we know who actually loves taking her kids to the beach. She has two sons and with 10 years of parenting under her belt, she's starting to feel a little less out of her league. She comes from a large family and loves to debate, so brace yourself when the hot topics come up.
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Freelance writer Courtney Cairns Pastor wasn’t so sure about having kids and how she would balance child-rearing with her journalism career. It turned out that her journalism training went to good use. As the mom to a funny, active toddler, she learned to handle him like she did her sources. Never ask yes or no questions (the answer will always be no), get him to be specific (are you crying because you’re wet or your tooth hurts?) and be prepared for anything because no two days are the same. When she’s not playing trucks, Courtney crams for her book club, trains for races and occasionally bursts into showtunes. E-mail her at 
Suzannah DiMarzio has it bad for the Mouse. Although she grew up outside of Boston, she took her degree in tourism management down to Orlando just to work at Disney and the travel industry. Of course, when she married her high school sweetheart, the reception was at Disney. She’s now a seasoned stay-at-home mom to two tweens and a toddler – and yes, that is as crazy as it sounds. Suzannah has her own blog, Comment Policy
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