Mom2bee, I think the big thing that has bothered me and some others, is that in your original post, you basically said you would be happy if your kids blatantly disrespected other kids beliefs just b/c you don't personally think it's right to lie to your kids.
No, I said I didn't care if they announced over the loud speaker at kindergarten that Santa isn't real. Meaning, I'm not going to fret over whether or not my kid is going to "spill the beans" about Santa to other neighborhood kids. You're right, I dont think its right to lie to ones kids, especially over something like Santa. I said I'd teach them about Saint Nick and such from an academic point of view and explain where the original concept came from, but I'm going to be adamant about Santa = a Blatant, socially backed lie that doesn't really have much point.
I'm planning to do the same if they ask me about the boogie man, Freddy, Chucky (the evil doll), or Tinkerbell...
Meaning if I ever got a phone call from an angry or distressed parent about what their kid had heard from mine, I wont be apologizing and promising to give my kids a good "talking too" or any of that. I'll calmly explain to the parent that I dont share their sentiment or concern, hear them out, hang up and go about my business.
And now you are talking about teaching your kids to respect other kids beliefs.
Well, isn't that the point? I'm not going to teach my kids to hedge and dodge around speaking the truth about anything. But I'm not going to teach my kids to go around picking fights and such either. I said in my in my original post "... I hope my children will feel free to call out other Christian parents as liars and hypocrites if ever they
need to." keyword being NEED to.
If someone calls my girl a little boy, she can correct them. If someone assumes my kids are atheist, they can correct them. If someone assumes my kids a Santa-believer. They can correct them. If someone assumes my child is a poor, miserable soul because their mama doesn't put up lights or whatever, they can correct them. If someone assumes my child is abused or being pressured because their afforded as many educational and relationship-building pursuits from infancy as their mama can get her hands on, they can correct them. IF THEY WANT TO. I'm not going to be taking my kids to fights but I wont train them to be other kids punching bags either. My parents never left us the option of defending ourselves. It was more important to never be rude/confrontational/offensive/upsetting to others.
My siblings and just had to sit and take peoples crap all the time about practically everything. Clearly I'm still just a little bit peeved about that. I will NOT do the same thing to my own kids.
The whole point of this thread was to find out how people are going to teach their kids to respect other children who believe something different than them.
Wait, what? Just a sentence ago you expressed concern or confusion that I was planning on teaching my children respect for others beliefs, now it appears that I was on topic?
....hmm..
Kids can be cruel and speak without thinking, and most of us don't want our kids to ruin (whether accidentally or on purpose) another child's Christmas.
I never said anything along the lines of "I look forward to the day my kids can spoil xmas and Santa for everyone elses kid."
I said if my kids were met with PROSanta
hostility, I wanted them to be able to defend themselves if they feel up to it.
I see teaching the Anti-Santa facts to my kids in the same light that I view educating them about stranger danger or drugs. Dont be afraid (or alarmed) be aware. Be prepared JUST IN CASE.
Every stranger isn't a kidnapper or pedophile, but all the same, I want them to know what to do in case they have the horrible experience of meeting one. I want them to feel secure in their ability to defend themselves or at least
know that what they are being called to is FALSE.
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On a calmer note. I sincerely apologize to waterdreamer, you and anyone else who was offended or disturbed by my posts. I do appreciate the moral and social message behind the holiday spirit and do have an immense respect and tolerance for the various ethnicities, religions, cultures, ideas and things that make me proud to be an American and a citizen of the earth.
I'm not a Christian/Christmas/Santa hating bigot, as I said before. I simply cant take the idea of my kids feeling the way that I spent 5-6 years of my life feeling. Like I was; trapped.
I knew Santa wasn't true and that those adult relatives were just nasty-bullies, but I couldn't do anything about it even when the few times I really wanted to. I wont put my kids in the same boat. I refuse to even entertain the idea.
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