With Easter coming up, I think about when I used to believe in the Easter Bunny, Santa Claus, and The Tooth Fairy. I used to think they were so real, and I don’t know why. They sound very unrealistic when I think about them. An oversized bunny that brings candy, a bearded man in a red suit bringing presents, and a flying woman who takes teeth and gives money for them don’t sound very real at all. Why did my parents lie to me at such a young age, and why do most parents continue to lie about these folklores?

Parents lie to their kids about these folklores mostly just to create fun, memorable holidays. The other reason is so their kids behave. The myth of Santa Claus tells kids that they have to be on their best behavior all year to receive presents. If they’re bad they get coal on Christmas morning. The presents at Christmas, the candy at Easter, and getting money for losing a baby tooth all create memories in a child’s life.

These little white lies don’t do any harm, but when a parent takes it to the extremes such as dressing up as one of the fictional characters to deliver the gifts, then it’s a little to much. If a kid finds out that these fictional characters aren’t real, don’t try to cover it up, tell them! When the little white lie become a big lie, that’s when these folklores become a problem. If a kid believes in these folklores 100%, then when they find out that they are not real they will be devastated. If a kid has some doubt in the folklores, then when they find out it might make them a little sad, but they’ll get over it.

When I told my parents that I didn’t believe in Santa, the Easter Bunny, or the Tooth Fairy they told me to still believe in the spirit of giving even if I didn’t believe in the fictional characters anymore. They told me that there is some truth in the Santa folklore because there was, at one time, a Saint Nicholas who delivered gold to poor people through their chimneys. They told me that the Easter Bunny and the Tooth Fairy had no truth in them. I wasn’t devastated, but I was worried that I wouldn’t get presents and candy at Christmas and Easter. To this day I still get a basket at Easter labeled “From The Easter Bunny” and presents at Christmas labeled “From Santa.”

Why do these folklores exist in the first place, and why do they continue to be past down? The legend of Santa Claus was made after Saint Nicholas as said earlier. He was a saint in the fourth century. When his parents died he was given a large sum of money which he distributed to the poor. The Easter Bunny originated somewhere in Europe and has spread all over the world. It represents the new life of spring. The eggs for Easter come from the early Christian church because they would fast during Lent and have a stockpile of eggs to give to their children on Easter. The Tooth Fairy also originated in Europe and has spread around the world. The early Europeans would bury every baby tooth that a child lost, and when they lost their sixth one they would be given a small sum of money. A survey was taken about the Tooth Fairy, and when children learned that the Tooth Fairy wasn’t real, 75% of children reported liking the custom; 20% were neutral and 3% were not in favor and didn’t want to continue the tradition with their own kids. These folklores are mostly just a tradition that our parents’ parents passed down to them, and now they’re just passing them down to us.

A large part of all of these folklores is also commercialism. The holidays have become a way for companies to get children into asking for ridiculously over-priced toys and treats. Companies have also made profit off movies about these fictional characters and commercials using the characters such as Dr.Pepper.

Childhood folklores, if parents don’t make to much of them are just innocent traditions that don’t hurt children. If parents keep the traditions very small, and don’t make anything to big about them, then the simple traditions are fine. Parents just want to make the most out of their kids childhood and that’s why they lie to us about these folklores.