Monday, January 17, 2011

shattered illusions?

This is the story of how I may or may not have ruined Santa Claus for my son:

My baby brother is currently serving an LDS mission in Tucson, Arizona.  He checks his e-mail on Mondays, so this morning I was e-mailing him an update about the trivial things going on in our lives.  Because of the recent illness (and other things,) I have not written him since we spoke on Christmas day.

On the other hand, Troublemaker #1 is smart.  Top of his class, is what his teacher tells me.  He is in first grade, but reading on more of a 2nd-3rd grade level.

So, while I was typing out my letter, Samuel was reading over my shoulder.  While I plan to inform him at some point that this is an obnoxious habit, I like that he so enjoys reading that he reads everything in sight.  I didn't think anything of it when I typed to my brother the following sentence:

"I made Rora some dress-ups for Christmas, and I'm attaching a few pictures for you to see."

I was busy paying attention to what I was typing when Samuel asked, "You made Rora's dress-ups?"  (That's right, the dress ups that Santa brought for Rora.)  To which I responded, "Yep. . . . Wait!  No!  But I want to copy them so I can make a tutorial for my blog and show other people how to make them."

Samuel is 7, and frankly I'm a little surprised that he hasn't asked a single question that would lead us to believe he is doubting the existence of an obese man who wants nothing more than to fly in a sleigh and deliver toys to children all over the world.  I figured this past Christmas would probably be the last before he became privy to the secret we all discover around his age--that Mom & Dad are Santa Claus.

I just hate that it was me that ruined one of the most magical parts of Christmas (and his childhood) for him!

Now, I don't know exactly how much damage I've done.  I'd like to think that Samuel trusts me so explicitly that my really bad excuse is enough to satisfy his curiosity and I'll have one more Christmas with all my children believing.  But, like I said, he's a smart kid. 

I may have just ruined Santa Claus for my oldest child.  (**I'm so ashamed.**)

2 comments:

Vivian said...

I'm sorry, Aud! He is smart, and if this is how he figures it out, he's smart enough to realize the fun of it for the younger kids. Everything will be okay.

David said...

Just a reminder....your "baby brother" is 21 (older than you when you were married), 6'4", 190 lbs.

You might consider another term for him before he gets home.