How will you raise your kids?

[PickleBoy]

Dathu

xd God I love the high-heels.


Anyway, I dunno if I'm gonna do the whole Santa shabang. I think I'll just keep my mouth shut and let the little woman do the lieing. That way when the kids get upset, I'll just be like "You mom's a mean b***h. She feeds off your sadness. Now lets go buy a new video game system and 40 in. flat pannle television, that'll show her."

Well, I wear them just for you. razz

And you little s**t. You would do that too. Right up until she takes away your allowance. twisted  

[Prince Rilian]

No school, no g0ds, no baby-sitters.

No easter bunny, no tooth fairy, no santa claus.

no lying, no spanking, no unnecessary rules.

no gender roles, no ageism.

I can't think of anymore.  

[Prince Rilian]

Dathu

Anyway, I dunno if I'm gonna do the whole Santa shabang. I think I'll just keep my mouth shut and let the little woman do the lieing. That way when the kids get upset, I'll just be like "You mom's a mean b***h. She feeds off your sadness. Now lets go buy a new video game system and 40 in. flat pannle television, that'll show her."

When I was 5, I asked my mom if Santa Claus was real. She wouldn't tell me. So I asked my dad and he said no. Then I asked him about the easter bunny and the tooth fairy and he said no. I'm glad he didn't continue lying to me.

I mentioned to my mom once that her sister didn't tell her kids the lie of santa claus. She said, "That's because they're crazy christians who don't want their kids to believe in anyone but g0d." So, while you won't teach your children the faerie-tale of g0d, you'll teach them the equally ridiculous story of a fat man with flying deer who brings presents all the children in the world? And why only children? I always asked my parents that. "Why didn't santa bring you anything?"  

[Fuzzy Kittens]

I really want my children (should I have any in the future) to live simply. I believe people are actually happier when their lives aren't filled with material things. As a result, I think kids learn to treasure the few things they do have, and that they have to work hard to gain the things they do want. Thar be some lessons of life they can learn early.

I'm undecided on whether or not I'm going to feed my children the Santa Claus/Easter Bunny/Tooth Fairy lie. On one hand, I want my kids to feel they can trust me, and lying to them's not a great way to go about that. On the other hand, it's good for a kid to believe in something, even if it's not real. It gets the imagination going. Also, learning the truth when they grow older teaches them how to deal with disappointment.

I don't know. Sounds like I have a plan, but the best-laid schemes of mice and men often go awry (good thing I'm neither man nor mouse). Plus, I don't know the first thing about raising kids. To be quite honest, I'd probably be a lousy parent. I'm too cynical, too keen on "kids today" learning the harsh realities of the world. And I'm not real affectionate - I'd sooner tell my kid to suck it up than give them a comforting pat on the back.

My boyfriend would make a better parent. He's totally into hugs and stuff.  

[sora987]

I'm not fond of young children, so I would never have any of my own. I plan on adopting teenagers one day, so by that point I would be way beyond worrying about santa claus and the easter bunny. I would try to open up their minds more to other lifestyles and beliefs in hopes that they will go out into the world with a much more tolerant view of others. Also I wouldn't give them whatever they want. If they want the more expensive things like game systems or designer clothes then they must get a job and save up for it. Also, I would give them a greater respect for living things beside humans and live in a way that's far less wasteful and destructive to our natural resources. We must stress this now in future generations as well as our own, or our species may run itself into a hole we can't get out of.  

[Dark_lord_15]

I was just thinking... (I know, YAY for me!) when I belived in Santa, I had more faith in people. Maybe letting children belive in something that is not deathly in any way whatsoever is a good thing. When it was taken away from me, I started to trust no one. Are mythical creatures just a way of letting children be naive, and hide the truth from them as long as they can? I think everyone else knows this by now. I always get stuff last. redface

 

[[Hollow Point]]

I expect to raise my kids with the full benefits of childhood. I will not shield them from Santa, the Easter Bunny, etc. I want my kids to know this, and grow up having these experiences. Even though I am atheist I will allow my child to practice any kind religion they want, if they want to go to church on sunday, I will readily take them, I may even attend the mass as well with my child.  

[Theophrastus]

[Hollow Point]

I expect to raise my kids with the full benefits of childhood. I will not shield them from Santa, the Easter Bunny, etc. I want my kids to know this, and grow up having these experiences. Even though I am atheist I will allow my child to practice any kind religion they want, if they want to go to church on sunday, I will readily take them, I may even attend the mass as well with my child.

And grin darkly when accepting The Host.

XD  

[Nopenname]

I do have two children.

My husband and I are both Atheist and yet we do in fact do the whole Easter Bunny, Santa Clause, Tooth Fairy, thing with them. Children in general live in a world of abstract...this is an important distinction to make between children and adults. It is perfectly fine and age appropriate as well as normal for children to pretend to be someone else or an animal, as well as have imaginary friends and believe in fantastic things. When adults continue to believe in these things and live in fantastic worlds is when they have a break from reality. In fact participating in these fantasy worlds with them is the number one best thing about having children.

I ALSO want my children to experience as much of child hood as they can. I believe that children are expected to act adult and think about things and are exposed to things that are not supposed to be for them.

I do not find Santa Clause to be a slippery slope toward belief in religious figures.

I remember, at 11 (I know I know took me awhile but DAMN my parents were crafty) asking my mother who said, and what do you think? do you think Santa is real? and having a meaningful discussion with my mother about Santa and why he's not real, etc. And I also remember then being included as a "grown up" in preparing fun Santa related things for my brother.

Kids should believe in crazy things...they are kids. Adults should not.  

[Theophrastus]

I love your sig so much. Cute kid, too.  

[Rabid Robot]

Sadly, I will probably raise my children with some sort of religion. Most likely whatever the religion of my husband will be. If they decide they don't want to believe I'll accept that, but I don't want my kids to not be able to sleep at night because they're afraid they won't wake up in the morning... ;(  

[ProjectOmicron88]

I'm going to be 19 in June, and I plan on one day getting married and having children. I'm going to raise them a bit like my parents raised me. They were both brought up on Christian religions, but never really got into the whole "faith" thing. As a result, I was brought up learning more about science than pondering the actual mysteries of life and what explanation lay behind them, but as I got older, I began to realize that so long as things just kinda worked, I didn't care either way. Some things just are the way they are. If my kids ever ask me for guidance in that regard, I'll tell them that it's ultimately up to them, because no way of thinking really explains everything. I'm also going to make it clear that ridicule of people for their beliefs is wrong. I don't care if they come into contact with Cthulhu cultists, you respect their damned beliefs.

As far as the whole holiday thing goes, I do celebrate Christmas, I get the occasional Cadbury creme egg on Easter, and I do plan on using the tooth fairy. Mainly, the so-called Christian holidays are based around dates used in pagan ceremonies, and some of the pagan customs remain, such as Christmas trees and mistletoe. So really, I'm just embracing any holiday that made me feel good as a kid, because that's what they're about. Except of course for holidays of real importance, like Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, etc. I'm still not sure what the hell Arbor Day is supposed to symbolize.

I realize as I write this that some Christians may criticize me for not indoctrinating good moral values. I have my solutions. First of all, if my kids do something wrong, I'll sure as hell let them know they're screwing up. Reinforcement is the key to learning. But on each of their thirteenth birthdays, my present will be a scrapbook containing pictures of tobacco-blackened lungs, herpes sores, emaciated-looking drug addicts, and extracted livers with cirrhosis. And I will say to them, "Just promise me you'll be careful out there. Use protection, don't smoke, don't drink, and always, ALWAYS, stay away from drugs your doctor doesn't prescribe." I wasn't taught THAT way, but I've never found the pleasure in filling my lungs with tar, catching STDs, puncturing my skin with heroin needles, and drinking beverages that taste like cat piss and trash my inhibitions and sense of balance. I want to make it clear to my kids that there are harmful, addictive things out there, and something you think is good now can really ******** you up later.

Basically, I want to give my kids the freedom to learn as they go, but kids tend to be....well, not very smart. I'm going to impose restrictions on just how far they can explore their options in this world, let me put it that way.  

[Xiporah]

I don't think I am going to raise my children to believe in those things either (holiday icons, etc.)

I still want them to grow up finding dollars under thier pillow for lost teeth, presents under the tree and surprise candy baskets for a holidays that I really don't care much about. (After all, who doesn't like Holidays centered around free s**t that you want?)

I don't know, but I certainly do not and will not have anything remotely religious in my house. I don't right now, save for my step father's metaphysical and religious study books that he is storing there.

 

[[Hollow Point]]

Nopenname

I do have two children.

My husband and I are both Atheist and yet we do in fact do the whole Easter Bunny, Santa Clause, Tooth Fairy, thing with them. Children in general live in a world of abstract...this is an important distinction to make between children and adults. It is perfectly fine and age appropriate as well as normal for children to pretend to be someone else or an animal, as well as have imaginary friends and believe in fantastic things. When adults continue to believe in these things and live in fantastic worlds is when they have a break from reality. In fact participating in these fantasy worlds with them is the number one best thing about having children.

I ALSO want my children to experience as much of child hood as they can. I believe that children are expected to act adult and think about things and are exposed to things that are not supposed to be for them.

I do not find Santa Clause to be a slippery slope toward belief in religious figures.

I remember, at 11 (I know I know took me awhile but DAMN my parents were crafty) asking my mother who said, and what do you think? do you think Santa is real? and having a meaningful discussion with my mother about Santa and why he's not real, etc. And I also remember then being included as a "grown up" in preparing fun Santa related things for my brother.

Kids should believe in crazy things...they are kids. Adults should not.

Another late bloomer, lol. I stopped believing when I was 10.

Really it would be cruel not to allow the kids to do that, they go to school and a kid asks them what they got for christmas while donning new clothes and playing with new toys the kid says he doesnt celebrate it. That could potentially harm the child.