Snow Melt

Harmless Fiction

The April 20, 2013 prompt for "Blogging Circle of Friends Prompt Forum"  is
The Tooth Fairy (or Easter Bunny, or Santa Claus . . .) : a fun and harmless fiction, or a pointless justification for lying to children?

From my point of view, the stories that my Grandparents and Parents told m about the Tooth Fairy, Easter Bunny, and Santa Claus were harmless fiction that just encouraged my creativity. I do have trust issues, but those issues stem from other events that happened to me rather then the fantasy stories that my Parents and Grandparents told or read to me.

At Christmas, my Grandmother or Mother would read the story of the Birth of Jesus and then we would go to the Southern Baptist Mission or the First Southern Baptist Church and hear the story again, while watching the Christmas Pageant. At home we would listen to records playing Christmas Carols or "Here Comes Santa Claus" and then watch Christmas specials on television. The same thing at Easter, when Mom or Grandma begin reading the story of the Resurrection of Christ then I knew that the Easter Pageant would be held at whichever church were were attending that Sunday. I realized that Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny, like the Tooth Fairy, were just stories meant to entertain.

I don't see anything wrong with telling children fantasy stories or letting them read those stories for themselves. The important thing is to give children a religious foundation while teaching them to think for themselves. The important thing is for a person to learn to think for him or herself and to ask questions because once the individual finds the answers to those questions then the persons faith is strengthened.

Ask questions
without fearing the answers
because our souls expand
with the question we ask.

Thought for the Day: "Who questions much, shall learn much, and retain much." - Francis Bacon