Elf Shortage

At dinner, my seven-year-old daughter announced: “I know Santa Claus is not real.” When we asked how she knew, she answered: “I read it in a parenting magazine. It was an article about the recession. It said parents should tell their kids there’s an elf shortage in the North Pole and that’s why they’re not going to get as many presents.”

“Really?” I said.

“Yeah.” She started kicking the legs of the chair. “It also said that parents can tell their kids anything and they’ll believe them.”

Ouch. She’d discovered our secret. Not the one about Santa; I’m sure she suspected something about that for a while. I enjoyed pretending along with her but didn’t make a big effort to cover my traces. Unlike some other parents I know, I wrapped presents from us in the same paper as presents from Santa. The much more troubling secret she discovered is that parents can take advantage of their small children’s infinite trust.

It’s true: We could tell her anything and she would believe it. At least right now, at least at seven. At least until she goes through puberty and starts to question everything we say and do.

Later that night, my daughter handed me a piece of paper: her Christmas list. It said: “Dear Santa, I would like walkie-talkies. They can be a toy as long as they work. I know you are not real. But we can always pretend, can’t we?” And we will.

Photo by tofutti break via Flickr