'Gentle parenting' is a thing
Some families in the U.S. are taking to social media to share their dislike for Santa Claus.
Like Sierra McKenzie, who has three children aged three weeks to three years and went on TikTok to exclaim why she is against Jolly Old Saint Nick.
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McKenzie, 23, had more to say. “Telling kids that Santa is real is a lie, and I don’t believe in building my kids up on a lie,” McKenzie, who hails from North Dakota, told The New York Post.
“Your kids can still enjoy the magic of Christmas without believing in Santa,” she said, adding that the presents under her tree will be marked “From: Mom and Dad,” according to the Post.
McKenzie says she doesn’t tell her kids Santa “sees you when your sleeping” or any of that. She says he’s a made up character.
Must make for awkward conversations with their friends.
“The magic of Christmas shouldn’t be built up on Santa,” McKenzie told the Post. “It’s about the gift of giving to one another.”
The Post pointed out that the hashtag #SantaIsntReal on TikTok has garnered more than 14 million views with other parents ripping Santa and saying they won’t play ball with the traditional beliefs about him.
“I don’t want to scare my children into thinking that they have to behave a certain way or that they were more ‘naughty or nice,’ than another child based on Christmas gifts,” said Chloe Amelle, 24, a mom of two and parenting influencer from southern Utah.
Apparently telling kids Santa isn’t real is a form of something called “gentle parenting.”