07 January 2013

Pearl's First True Christmas

I try not to lament things that haven't happened yet.  Like having nobody in diapers, which means self-sufficiency is creeping closer.  Like when "mommy" becomes "mom" or when they no longer want to give me a kiss good-bye.  Instead, I try to remember to appreciate the now and soak up the moments I know will be fleeting much more quickly than I could imagine.
I'm not sure when Divine stopped believing in Santa Claus.  I think she has secretly known for sometime now, but hasn't said anything.  She doesn't like confrontation like her momma.  And maybe she was trying to cling to any last threads of hope that were tying her childhood to the close and new world of youth.
But, Pearl is a different matter.  She wants to know.  Real or not.  Fact or fiction.  True or false.  She was 5 when we took all the baby Dills to New York to make Christmas memories in that fantastic city. We went to Mary Poppins on Broadway and not only does she constantly lean over (and this is true for any type of production, so beware if she happens to be sitting by you) and ask questions about everything, but she wants to know: Is that real!? Are they really walking up the wall?  Is she really flying?  It's both endearing and annoying.
Quite honestly I'm surprised that she has believed this long.  In today's world that pushes little children to grow up too fast anyway, wearing things that shouldn't even be on teenagers, having their own phones, and highly priced electronic gadgets, belief is cut short too soon, in my opinion.
While I have mixed emotions about perpetuating something as Santa Claus, I still believe that allowing little children to enjoy the enchantment of the north pole and reindeer is part of childhood that adds to being a child. 
Pearl came to us Christmas Eve with her serious eyes and straight mouth, and concern in her voice.  "Is Santa Real."  It wasn't a question, more of a demand to know once and for all.  She came to us, knowing we will tell her the truth if she asks us, that she can trust the words that we tell her.
Ryan and I both took her aside, away from the chaos of newly opened gifts and sat down with all of our arms intertwined and bodies close, making a Pearl sandwich.  She asked us again with that look of all the seriousness a 9-year-old can summon, pleading to know the real truth.  In all gentleness, we told her that we filled her stockings and there was no climbing down chimneys by anyone.
There was a look of relief on her face and we squeezed her hands.  She wanted to know why people thought there was a Santa and we related the story of St. Nicholas and that it's an enchanting tale to believe and makes Christmas morning a bit more magical for little kids. We talked about how even though the real meaning of Christmas is the birth of our Savior, the tale of Santa also promotes giving to one another and reminds us that being good and obedient is important, and what Christ would want us to be.  She seemed to be taking it all in, processing all the past years of gifts in her mind.
Then, she went through every single holiday and we gave it to her straight.  No, there is no such thing as a leprachaun, or Easter bunny (although we never did have the Easter bunny visit our house), the toothfairy, everything she could possibly imagine.  We spilled every last darn bean in the pot.  She hugged us and said "Thank you for telling me the real truth."
The next morning, Christmas morning, after stockings were emptied, she held a small antique horse in her hand, looked at me from across the room and gave me a knowing smile.  Bittersweet, but beautiful.

46 comments:

  1. This is so lovely, it took away my fears of when we would need to tell our eldest daughter the truth. Thank you for that Katy. Your posts are always so inspiring.

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  2. So bittersweet. My oldest is 4 and we found that this was the first year we really needed to pay close attention to keeping the magic alive. Your photos of your family are beautiful.

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  3. What poignant memories you have awakened with your beautiful post. I can't recall telling our first-born, but when we gently told our middle child, I can still see her big blue eyes focused on us as she asked, "I don't suppose the Easter Bunny ..." And now it won't be long before she has to gently break the news to her own eldest child. Precious times - thank you so much for sharing.

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  4. This post brought tears to my eyes. I love your parenting philosophy so much - keeping the magic alive for the little ones, but being totally honest with your kids when they need you to be. Agree 100%. And I love reading how you parent each baby Dill differently, too - such great lessons to learn! Being a girl like Pearl who always loves to "know things," I bet she likes having the inside scoop now, too. ;)

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  5. Childhood is such a tiny, short portion of our lives and I believe it should be protected and enjoyed--even if that means pushing the idea of Santa Claus. I'm glad that she took the 'real truth' so well. My SIL just told her 11 year old twin boys that Santa wasn't real and they CRIED. They were crushed. I almost cried because they still believe at 11!

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  6. I was so grateful this year- that my daughter who is just barely 10- still claimed to believe in Santa. There are so many hard life realities that are made clear to our children at such a young age - rather from school, or friends, or life experiences - I want to hold onto the magical moments as long as I can.

    As much as Christmas is often about the things one recieves, I think for parents - it is more about creating the moment. Those precious looks of utter surprise and excitement. And trying our hardest to imprint that into our memories for years to come. :) Baby to adulthood is really not long enough for this momma.

    *grin* As we know Santa may not be real- don't we all secretly wish that there was a Santa who could give us a suprise? Something to show us that the world knows we are doing good in so many ways. :)

    Though - now you have allies in the next round of holidays. My brothers and I were non belivers of so many things as kids - but we were good at avoiding the hard questions from our baby sister....I don't think she had an inkling about Mr.Claus until middle school when some of us had gone to college. ;)

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  7. This too brought tears to my eyes. I was thinking about my daughter who is about to turn 5 and how big she seems but how little she really is. I'm glad Pearl took the truth so well, I remember when I figured out there wasn't a Santa and it was a tough adjustment, but part of growing up.

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  8. some of those things that haven't happened yet may never happen. My missionary sons both still call me mommy. I even got a birthday card adressed simply Mommy and then our address beneath. They grow up in so many ways, but they are still our babies forever.

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  9. Why am I, a 28 year old mother, crying? Beautifully said.

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  10. Looking at the last 2 pictures, there is still magic in her live.

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  11. I have tears in my eyes. This Christmas was especially magical. My girls are 5 and 8. But it made my stomach in knots they BELIEVE. Because we have lied to them. This was very comforting.

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  12. I have tears in my eyes. This Christmas was especially magical. My girls are 5 and 8. But it made my stomach in knots they BELIEVE. Because we have lied to them. This was very comforting.

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  13. this is just so wonderful and lovely. i, too, feel conflicted sometimes about "lying" about Santa Claus but i enjoy the magic and wonder and spirit of it all. you handled her questions with such grace, i hope i can do the same.

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  14. Absolutely beautiful. I am always inspired by you and your family. Thank you for sharing your lives with us.

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  15. This is precious. Thanks for making another beautiful vignette of your lovely family.

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  16. Oh this made me cry! Sweet little Pearl. I often struggle with the idea of adding magic to my sweet little one's life. I am afraid I've saturated her life full of tales of fairies, elves, and the like. I just hope she appreciates it and doesn't resent me for it one day. This story gives me hope it will all work out.

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  17. Such a gentle and sweet story of finding out the truth. And your girls in their matching PJs are adorable. Lovely photos!

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  18. This was the second year that my oldest knew the truth. She asked us about it on Christmas day. She was in 5th grade and a month away from 11 years old. I'm so glad she believed for so long! I just want childhood to last as long as possible. She was so excited that she was in the know this Christmas, though. It was so sweet. I've never made a big deal of Santa, with stocking stuffers being the only thing he gives them. I think you went about breaking the news to her in just about the best way possible!

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  19. My 5 year looked up at me a minute ago while I was reading this and said, "Mama, your eyes have spilled. Do you need a hug?"
    Thanks for sharing your sacred moments.

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  20. Lovely post, made me cry.

    Even when I have never led my kid to believe those things.

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  21. Thanks for sharing Katy! When we told my daughter, I was so afraid she would be sad, but instead she began to list off every gift Santa had ever brought her, and effusively thanked us for them. It was sort of like she now had a place to send her thank you notes! :) we still set out eggnog and cookies for Santa, but now my kids just eat them with us, and we make different memories!

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  22. Great post, Katy! I love reading about all the different personalities under your roof.
    I'm almost 18 now and the youngest of two. For me, figuring out that Santa wasn't real (I was more like Divine, no confrontation or great revelation) certainly meant some of the magic died. But now I look back to those early Christmases with such fondness and I'm so glad my parents 'pretended' for my benefit. And perhaps having several younger siblings will mean that Christmas remains pretty magical for your older girls for a little longer.

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  23. What a sweet precious post! I always enjoy your way with words and your wonderful take on motherhood. Gives me comfort for when we have to tell our oldest ;).

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  24. OH my goodness, you are amazing. That seems like a tough call but you totally knew what the was the right thing to do! I love the magic of December for my little people, love, love, love it. It will be hard when the day comes, for me to let go.

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  25. Our youngest daughter (who is 7) is that way too! She asked us this year to tell her the truth as well. When I told her that Santa was a story, she said that I still wasn't admitting that WE put the gifts under the tree. Gosh, the pressure!
    We had to come clean and tell her everything. Like you, I was also holding on to keeping the magic alive.
    She just wanted the facts!
    It is funny how personalities vary from child to child, even in the same family.
    ~Michelle

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  26. oh, sweet, sweet girl. lovely post.

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  27. This Christmas I thought of how few years we probably have left of our oldest still believing. Thank you for sharing this experience. It made me think that maybe it will be ok to let them grow up. Just a little.

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  28. Oh Katy, this was so beautifully put and pretty much the stage our eldest two are at right now as well. Your photos show that there is plenty of REAL magic alive and well in your children's world, regardless :)

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  29. This reminded me of how much I treasured my parents' honesty as a child.

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  30. Silly or not I have goosebumps and tears.....I know all too soon that my times coming for that talk?...I don't want to have it!! I love the magic!! Such a sweet talk you had and a sweet girl you have!!!

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  31. I hope to be as good as parent as you one day. :)I love your family.

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  32. Perfectly, beautifully said! I love your thoughts! I shed a few tears, too.

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  33. Tears in my eyes as I read this, especially the end where she gave you the knowing smile. Uh, right in the gut! You guys do a marvelous job with these kiddos and I appreciate you giving me a bit of a map for when my oldest daughter (I have three) comes to me. She's 7 but it doesn't seem far away.
    Always check in on your blog. Just love it!:) Thanks for sharing and being real!
    Jayne

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  34. Your picture posts with narration get me every time!
    Darn.
    *sniff
    We didn't "do" Santa. We frequently celebrated Christmas on an alternate day due to the work schedule of both parents being nurses.
    We talked about Santa and they knew all the stories and the magic of it. They never, ever spoiled it for a child that did believe AND they always answered a person "yes" when asked if they were ready for Santa to visit. (who isn't ready for Santa?)
    I only found out after they were grown how much they loved that they never knew when Christmas was actually going to come. All those years of feeling guilty for trying to keep the time special with just us and doing something alternative to make it work.
    ....and we find out it was something so unique and special.
    Once they got big enough to really comprehend the messy family calendar and put the puzzle pieces together with trips, days off and work days...they figured it out. But they never told the younger ones.
    As with Santa for you, it was bitter sweet when our youngest figured it out and we couldn't surprise him anymore.

    Such a sweet memory....."Guess what guys? Today is Christmas"!!!! (or "tonight" depending on the year)

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  35. Thank you for sharing that! It brought sweet tears to my eyes as I know that my little ones will one day ask this question too and expect a truthful answer. As for now I'm glad they still believe, because telling them will mean they're growing up :)

    Jenny
    Seamingly Smitten

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  36. Love the pj's, pictures, and the truths.

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  37. Oh Katy, thanks for always sharing your honesty with us as well as your beautiful Dills. My 8-yr-old is getting closer and closer. She is an old soul with a whimsical spirit and can't decide if she wants to be practical and know the truth or believe in the magic that she loves. Whenever she's asked, it's always been in the car with her little brother, so I always just respond with What do you think? She weighs out the options and decides she believes. I completely agree with you on the perpetuating the "myth" and don't want to lie to her, so I'm waiting for her to decide she's ready. Because it will be the same for her as it was for Pearl--no Santa means no Tooth Fairy, etc and the magic will be gone. I only hope she can find that the true magic is real--our love for each other and the world we create for ourselves and our family. :)

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  38. Loved this ! And must say your blog is one of my all time favorites :)

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  39. I have tears in my eyes right now. Thank you for sharing that. I have a 14 year old and a 10 year old. The 10 year old wrote a letter to Santa again this year. I don't have the heart to tell her he's not real. I don't know if she really believes, but she hasn't asked me about it. Thank you for telling us all what you said to Pearl. Hopefully, I can handle the conversation similarly when it eventually comes up. My son was like Divine - he never said a thing. Thank you again :) Shanna

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  40. oh goodness, your sweet story brought tears to my eyes. now i know what to tell my girlies when they come to me the question.
    thank you so much for sharing.

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  41. We had the same conversation with our daughter at 5 or so. It started with the tooth fairy, actually - she just looked at me point blank and said, "Mom, is there really a tooth fairy?"

    What was I going to say? Not interested in lying to my kids, thanks.

    She was not disappointed - she saw it as something fun grown-ups do for little kids, and was more concerned about the time she *had* believed than about the fact that it wasn't true.


    Because here's the thing: if Santa isn't real and I tell her he is, how is she going to believe me when she asks if werewolves or monsters or whatever are real and I tell her they're not?

    Kudos to you.

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  42. Simon is 8. This year he still believed...I don't think we will make it all the way through next year...Everyday I want to freeze time and just stay this way with my kids forever.
    liZ

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  43. beautiful post Katy. Thank you for sharing your lovely children with us.

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  44. This brought tears to my eyes. Why, oh why must childhood be so short?!?
    I struggle with the concept of Santa, and while we play along I know the questions are coming very soon. Thank you for giving me words and ideas on how to handle those moments!

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  45. Ah, what a beautiful post this is. I want a little group of children to dress up! But, are you sure there is no such thing as a leprechaun?

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  46. This brought a tear to my eye. My girls are 2 and 4...not sure that I am looking forward to when the magic disappears :( What a lovely sensitive way to tell the truth xx from Becky
    http://mylittlehandmadeproducts.blogspot.co.uk/

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