Father Christmas advice from experienced parents?
Discussion
HELP!!
My daughter who is almost 6 received a Nintendo DS from Father Christmas with a couple of games. Not sure if everyone knows but the games are a small cartridge, about the size of a compact flash card.
Anyway, she's been leaving the cartridges lying around so I told her to take care of them and put them back in their boxes as they are expensive. Conversation went like this:
Me: Look after the games they are expensive.
Her: So do you have to pay Father Christmas for presents?
Me: Of course
Her: How do you pay him?
Me; Oh, I sent a cheque to the North Pole a week or so ago and possibly you could pay online?
Her: Arr - so do you get things cheaper from him?
Me: No.
Her: So why bother with him, why not just get the things from the shops?
Stumped by a (nearly) six year old!
So, advice from the experienced parents/better liars - where did I go wrong and has a 6 year old really figured out the Santa thing already? (she has also previously asked if mum and dad bought all these presents)!
My daughter who is almost 6 received a Nintendo DS from Father Christmas with a couple of games. Not sure if everyone knows but the games are a small cartridge, about the size of a compact flash card.
Anyway, she's been leaving the cartridges lying around so I told her to take care of them and put them back in their boxes as they are expensive. Conversation went like this:
Me: Look after the games they are expensive.
Her: So do you have to pay Father Christmas for presents?
Me: Of course
Her: How do you pay him?
Me; Oh, I sent a cheque to the North Pole a week or so ago and possibly you could pay online?
Her: Arr - so do you get things cheaper from him?
Me: No.
Her: So why bother with him, why not just get the things from the shops?
Stumped by a (nearly) six year old!
So, advice from the experienced parents/better liars - where did I go wrong and has a 6 year old really figured out the Santa thing already? (she has also previously asked if mum and dad bought all these presents)!
I'm not a parent but I've a fair few nephews and nieces...She's cottoned on.
But your reply can be "Father Christmas only brings presents to good little boys and girls who believe in him." Then end the conversation.
She'll go on believing in Santa until she's 21.
They know. They also know which side their bread is buttered on...
Edited by Don on Monday 28th December 15:04
First mistake was saying you had to pay the big guy...
Better to say, "You know how he sees you when you're sleeping, etc. Well, if you don't take care of the stuff he brings you, then next year, it'll be coal and he'll give the good stuff to those that take better care of their things. Being unappreciative is naughty you know..."
Bit late to try to put the Genie back in the bottle. You could always try the "naughty" bit from above and claim that he'll do a runner when he get's your cheque next year if she's bad...
Better to say, "You know how he sees you when you're sleeping, etc. Well, if you don't take care of the stuff he brings you, then next year, it'll be coal and he'll give the good stuff to those that take better care of their things. Being unappreciative is naughty you know..."
Bit late to try to put the Genie back in the bottle. You could always try the "naughty" bit from above and claim that he'll do a runner when he get's your cheque next year if she's bad...
It's a can of worms all round really! If you dont say you have to pay then things aren't valued and the list is longer, the boxing up her toys things a bit cruel and the postage/delivery ideas a touch lame as she's already seen through the big lie!
She already gets threatned with "a bag of cinders" if she's naughty but I think ultimately the best idea is not to discuss it too much and change the subject!
Thanks for all the help guys and I'll see you back here in late March with Easter Bunny ideas!
She already gets threatned with "a bag of cinders" if she's naughty but I think ultimately the best idea is not to discuss it too much and change the subject!
Thanks for all the help guys and I'll see you back here in late March with Easter Bunny ideas!
ErnestM said:
First mistake was saying you had to pay the big guy...
Better to say, "You know how he sees you when you're sleeping, etc. Well, if you don't take care of the stuff he brings you, then next year, it'll be coal and he'll give the good stuff to those that take better care of their things. Being unappreciative is naughty you know..."
Bit late to try to put the Genie back in the bottle. You could always try the "naughty" bit from above and claim that he'll do a runner when he get's your cheque next year if she's bad...
Most people do a runner when they get my cheques - b'doing! Better to say, "You know how he sees you when you're sleeping, etc. Well, if you don't take care of the stuff he brings you, then next year, it'll be coal and he'll give the good stuff to those that take better care of their things. Being unappreciative is naughty you know..."
Bit late to try to put the Genie back in the bottle. You could always try the "naughty" bit from above and claim that he'll do a runner when he get's your cheque next year if she's bad...
smartie said:
put them back in their boxes as they are expensive
How about saying "put them back in their boxes or I will take them away from you" - and then doing it? (Note: I don't have children, so that's from the "worked on me in the 1970s" parenting manual. Anyone who disagrees with it will be sent to bed!)
smartie said:
Me: Look after the games they are expensive.
Conventional wisdom (i.e. that from books from experts 
) says that children don't comprehend money at these ages (they don't get the difference between breaking a coke bottle or a Ming vase) but do understand materialistic things such as having something or losing it. OTOH I'm not being preachy about this as I think we've royally stuffed that concept in our family because the children have far more than they need and so the loss doesn't account for much!As for the Santa thing - it may have run its course. I'm not aware of any slip-ups with our 6yo but there is already a bit of a suspicious look when the subject is discussed and I suspect it's only that she knows that Mummy and Daddy wouldn't lie to her that keeps it going...
Eggman said:
smartie said:
put them back in their boxes as they are expensive
How about saying "put them back in their boxes or I will take them away from you" - and then doing it? (Note: I don't have children, so that's from the "worked on me in the 1970s" parenting manual. Anyone who disagrees with it will be sent to bed!)
Tell her Father Christmas wraps the gifts as you don't have time. That and he keeps them until the child has been good before he can deliver. Or not if the child is a precocious brat...
ErnestM said:
First mistake was saying you had to pay the big guy...
Better to say, "You know how he sees you when you're sleeping, etc. Well, if you don't take care of the stuff he brings you, then next year, it'll be coal and he'll give the good stuff to those that take better care of their things. Being unappreciative is naughty you know..."
Bit late to try to put the Genie back in the bottle. You could always try the "naughty" bit from above and claim that he'll do a runner when he get's your cheque next year if she's bad...
This.Better to say, "You know how he sees you when you're sleeping, etc. Well, if you don't take care of the stuff he brings you, then next year, it'll be coal and he'll give the good stuff to those that take better care of their things. Being unappreciative is naughty you know..."
Bit late to try to put the Genie back in the bottle. You could always try the "naughty" bit from above and claim that he'll do a runner when he get's your cheque next year if she's bad...
We have done things the other way - our son gets the silly non sensical pressies from father Christmas and the expensive ones from the parents. However this year he noticed he had fewer presents and we said we don't have the money this year and you have asked for Wii and PS3 games which are very expensive. He said I hope father xmas buys me more stuff then. However I did tell him Father Christmas did have his money in Icelandic Bank and it went totally bust so he has to make his money stretch this year. He now wants to see the article in BBC News! Damn!
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