A Few Good Myths

As parents, my wife and I constantly struggle with the battle between telling truth and maintaining myth. We have always taken pride in the fact that we speak only the truth to our children. But in spite of this pride, we ensured that our children were fed a full diet of mythical creatures who visit our home on special days of the year. Christmas Eve, Easter Morning, and the loss of a tooth all warrant a visit from one of these colorful characters.

If you are a parent who is also striving to keep some myths alive, now is the time to send your little ones out of the room….Okay, back to the story.

There came a time when my oldest son challenged one of the most powerful myths. He questioned the reality of a big fat guy with a long white beard in a red-felt suit who slips down a chimney with a load of presents for good girls and boys, coal and sticks for bad girls and boys. Even as I write this, I am stunned by the strange details of this myth. It is a wonder that kids don’t stop believing even sooner.

My wife, in an effort to keep the myth alive, explained that there were people who did not believe in Father Christmas. But, she cautioned, people who don’t believe, don’t receive. My son thought about this and decided, quite shrewdly, I might add, that the Jolly Old Elf deserved another year of allegiance. The myth was safe.

This spring my youngest son asked about the Easter Bunny. “How,” he asked “or WHY does a rabbit deliver plastic eggs, candy, and a new tooth brush each year?” I had to admit this was a very good question and it deserved an honest answer. “No, Son, there is no Giant Rodent delivering sweets and dental products. He doesn’t hop from house to house celebrating the arrival of spring by dropping off 100’s of pounds of poorly made chocolate in colorful baskets filled with plastic grass.”

My daughter, sitting nearby, asked a follow-up question. “What about the Tooth Fairy?” Her question carried an edge of disappointment and hope. My response had to be just as honest. No Tooth Fairy, either. Her response was a surprise to us all, “WHAT A RELIEF!”

It seems, unbeknownst to her mother and me, she had suffered mortal terror over every tooth that fell from her mouth. Apparently, the thought of a small, glowing, winged, fairy-type-person hovering in her face while she slept was more than she could bear. The realization that her parents brought the quarters provided a much-needed release of eight years of tension.

So, yes, we have helped to foster the belief of mythical creatures. What harm can it do that a few years of therapy can’t undo? However, the full impact of our untruth revealed itself late last year when I overheard the three kids talking. They were in full agreement and that was scarier than any myth we could create. THEY would never play with the emotions and dreams of their children! THEY would never be one of those parents who would tell bold-faced lies to their children! THEY would never mess with their kids the way their own parents had messed with them!

I tiptoed out of the room and hid in the broom closet for an hour. Eventually, my children lost interest in hating their parents and returned to play with their Christmas Toys, newly delivered by Santa.