A COUPLE who say they refused to “gaslight” their toddler daughter about Santa have been slammed by other parents online.
Mathew Bourdreaux, 46, and spouse Aurelian, 44, insist they are not “taking away any magic” with their policy of straight talking with Helena, now nine.
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Mathew, a crafter, and music teacher Aurelian claim not being open with kids can cause psychological trauma.
Instead they let her decide for herself at the age of two if she wanted to have visits from Father Christmas and the tooth fairy.
The couple, from Camas in Washington state, US, say they “play along” to “keep her happy”.
Mathew said: “Why would I participate in this large scale global gaslighting?
“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.”
Helena started to ask questions about Santa before the age of three and her parents stuck to their principles.
Mathew said: “It wasn’t a sit down conversation – she started to ask questions and have an awareness of him.
“She asked who he was and it’s at this point most parents say he’s real – we decided not to.
“I’m not taking away any magic.
“From my perspective, we’re having a blast pretending.
“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.”
The dads hope to raise their daughter “to be humble and appreciative” so don’t spoil her on Christmas day – instead giving her a handful of presents and celebrating being together as a family.
But they have been hit with a furious response from other parents on social media over their stance on Father Christmas.
Mathew hit back: “There is a morality in lying and not lying – the second choice is the right choice.
“Honesty is the most important component of parenting, and the truth is the way you should go.”
Last week a mum shared a “savage” letter from the tooth fairy warning her seven-year-old son to take better care of his gnashers.
And a girl in the US wrote a bratty note to the tooth fairy specifying exactly how much money she was after “or else”.
Felix Allen
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