Parents refuse to 'gaslight' their daughter by telling them Santa Claus is real
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Two parents have decided they won't lie to their nine-year-old daughter about Santa and the Tooth Fairy as they don’t want to ‘participate in large scale global gaslighting’.
Mathew Bourdreaux, 46, and their partner, Aurelian, 44, a music teacher, believe teaching their child about honesty is the number one priority.
The parents from Washington, DC have always been truthful to their daughter, Helena, and explained to her that Santa Claus and the Tooth Fairy aren’t real and they’re merely ‘make believe’.
While Helena knows they don’t exist, her dads continue to play along to ‘keep her happy’.
Mathew avoids lying to his children as he believes it can inflict psychological trauma.
He said: “Before adopting our child, we researched parenting and thought of the potential psychological impact lying could have.
“We decided we would never deceive her – parents don’t need to tell any of their kids this is real.
"It has normalised group lying and deception, it doesn't need to be a part of society."
The father explained that at age three, when Helena began asking questions about the man who travelled down the chimney’s origin story, they informed her he wasn’t real; however, they said they could still ‘pretend’ if she wanted to.
"It wasn't a sit down conversation, she started to ask questions and have an awareness of him," Mathew said.
"She asked who he was and it's at this point most parents say he's real - we decided not to.
“From my perspective, we’re having a blast pretending.
Matthew revealed that many parents and social media users have often questioned Matthew and Aurelian about how they choose to parent; however, he added that playing ‘make-believe’ encourages his daughter's ‘imagination and creativity.’
“By not lying, there is no lie to burst - we live in a world where nobody can tell the difference between real and fake,” Mathew said.
While the parents have pulled the curtain back on Santa, they still celebrate a traditional Christmas. The parents even get a kick out of putting a dollar under Helena’s pillow each time she loses a tooth.
Matthew said: “The magic never ends and pretend never ends - we decorate the house with homemade decorations, make cookies, exchange presents, get up super early and spend quality time together as a family."
He added: “Honesty is the most important component of parenting, and the truth is the way you should go."
