The holiday season: Santa, gifts, little kids opening presents, family gatherings, and bringing joy to one another. What fun!
Of course, not every culture celebrates the holidays the same way. Some don’t include the legend of Santa, for example, which always creates the puzzle of what to tell youngsters when they realize that other kids their age don’t believe in Santa Claus. Should we say, “What your friend at school is telling you is true. There is no Santa Claus”?
Or should we instead say, “Oh no! Santa is real. The gifts from Santa at Christmas prove it!” Confident that virtually no child under the age of ten has ever heard of confirmation bias—the tendency to interpret information in a way that confirms existing beliefs—we could probably get away with our fib for another year.
But sooner or later, children—even when they trust grownups—realize there are significant flaws in the Santa Claus story. Flying sleighs pulled by reindeer (none with wings). How does that work? And why doesn’t Santa use a cargo jet instead? Covering every household on the entire planet in one evening—is that even possible? Delivering toys to children living in high-rise apartments without chimneys—seriously? And godlike knowledge of who’s naughty and nice—is anyone really capable of such a thing? We’re talking about every kid in L.A., Chicago, New York, and everywhere else! And more: having on hand in their backpack the exact gift every good child wanted Santa to bring. C’mon, man. Give me a break.
From a critical thinking perspective, it’s great when children begin to ask the kinds of questions that show they’re developing core critical thinking skills such as analysis, evaluation, and inference. That they can analyze the Santa Claus myth. That they can draw inferences about its flaws. That they can evaluate the story and reach the conclusion that it is very probably not true.
Maybe from parent’s perspective, it’s not so great. Even a little sad. Parents may see this moment as the beginning of the end of childhood—the start of many years when their child will come to realize more and more how complex, and at times unfair, the world really is.
Critical thinking can do that for a person. It helps them set aside the cherished myths of childhood to make room for what they’ll need to know as they grow up. We wouldn’t be good parents if we permitted our children to go through life cocooned in the cotton candy of make-believe.
Our responsibility is to prepare our children for what’s in store for them as they grow through the remainder of their childhood, their adolescence, and into adulthood. And the time to do that is when their critical thinking is beginning to emerge.
Like when they ask, “Is Santa real?” Parents can use this as an opportunity to guide their child’s critical thinking by encouraging them to explore evidence, ask questions, and come to their own conclusions about the legend of Santa.
