Salt Lake Telegram | 1924-12-19 | Page 11 | Know Your Own Child

KNOW YOUR OWN CHILD DO YOU BELIEVE IN SANTA CLAUS I j I I I I i Our OUt readers are invited to write to Dr Crane Fourth avenue New ew York City N. N Y requesting esting information or advice I on such problems of oC childhood as home training mental development development devel devel- school progress vocational vocational vocational voca voca- gu guidance incorrigibility etc All letters bearing name address will wili be acknowledged and answered either through the column or direct by mail Is the mother or father who tells tella his little ones the wondrous tale of Santa Claus Glaus and his reindeer doing his child chUd an injustice by such a gross misrepresentation of fact 1 In short l is he lying to them Most decidedly not And this for three reasons reason I Firstly the Santa Claus Glaus myth is I I not a lie It i is a fairy tale a bit bitof bitof of gracious fancy in story form A AI I i lie b by definition Is a statement made with intent to deceive for the I purpose of obtaining that which has not been e earned or to avoid what seems otherwise certain punish punish- ment meat And surely Burely no one could think of so story tory of at Santa Claus Glaus Secondly the briefest consideration tion of ot the psych psychology of the preschool preschool preschool pre- pre school child confirms our assumption tion that such mystic fairy lore Is is' is fully in keeping with the status of his mental development at this pe pe- pe nod For or these are the years when fantasy and reality fuse most h har- har r- r into to the roseate dream of childhood Nor I is the child at nt atall atall all aU concerned with ith the distinction In telling the child the story of oC Santa Santa Santa San San- ta then we are merel merely speaking to him in his own tongue Surely If we keep koep In close harmony harmon with the normal psychology of childhood we can scarcely go astray And thirdly lI what crass materialist materi alist dare daresay say there is no Santa Claus Glaus We say there is ls For old Saint Nick is th the embodiment of our of love and charity toward our neighbors and our ourI neighbors' neighbors children And spirit Is I the realest thing there Is I II Finally may we not well say of I any tale or feast that can bring such Buch unadulterated joy to the heart of childhood as does this age old Christmas and Santa Claus Glaus may s 's we not say that such a story is its own justification Dear Deal Dr Crane We Ve have always ys told our little girl the absolute truth It has been one of the most important points I in our out training She is almost 3 years old now ag apt and l at this season of the year meets on all sides the Santa Claus Glaus myth Shall we tell teU her th the truth about this or lie to her as all aU parents parents par par- eats do do to their children I feel very guilty when oen I think of telling her such things as that Santa Claus Glaus comes down do the chimney and wonder wonder wonder won won- der how she will vill view this deception deception deception tion when she grows older My husband b and I are tre e very I r I anxious to near hear your opinion I With thanks 1 MRS D. D T. T K IC M. M F. F If you jou will but let your daughters daughter's daughters daughter's daughters daughter's daugh daugh- ter's concept of Santa Clause merge gradually into into her idea of her Lather father fa father La- La ther then as her little mind de develops develops de- de there shall have been no no de deI de- de I For Is not her- her Lather father her herI Santa Claus Glaus I am ans sure that once you IOU catch I the tho spirit of the story you will feel differently about the whole matter I Mrs Mrs F. F Copyright 1924 by McClure Newspaper Newspaper News News- I paper S Syndicate