'I'll never tell my two-year-old daughter about Santa because I don't want to lie'
25 October 2021, 11:36 | Updated: 25 October 2021, 11:38
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A woman has said she will never tell her two-year-old daughter about Santa.
A mum from Australia has revealed that she will never pretend Santa is real to her two-year-old daughter.
Talking to Kidspot in Oz, Charlotte admitted she will tell her little one the truth about Father Christmas from the get go as she doesn’t want to lie to her.
While the mum-of-one loves decorating the tree and cooking a big roast, she isn’t a fan of the tradition of Santa visiting on Christmas Eve.
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Explaining the reason behind her unusual choice, Charlotte said her family didn’t have much money growing up, so while her friends had been given lavish gifts from Santa, she felt ‘forgotten’.
“I never received anything that other children had. It really affected me and made me believe Santa had forgotten me. I don’t want my child to believe that,” she told Kidspot.
“I want to be able to have an open and honest relationship with her. I don’t want her to feel left out.”
Charlotte went on to say that she decided long before she had children that she would never want to lie to them about Father Christmas.
When her two-year-old daughter was born, she became more set in her way.
While she doesn’t believe parents are actively harming their kids by pretending that Santa, she believes it will be ‘better in the long run if they tell their children the truth.’
Charlotte will also never lie about the Easter Bunny and Tooth Fairy, adding: “I’ve delved into a lot of reading about whether it was a good thing to be honest to your kids.
“From what I read, it’s better to be honest.”
This comes after a study last year revealed that the average age children stop believing in Santa is eight.
Carried out by psychologist Professor Chris Boyle, from the University of Exeter, UK, The Exeter Santa Survey asked people when they found out the truth and how it affected them.
Boyle received 1,200 responses, with a third of those surveyed reporting feeling upset when they discovered Santa wasn't real, while 15% felt betrayed by their parents and 10% felt angry.
Around 30% also said that their trust in adults had been affected by the Father Christmas ‘lie’.
