How Santa Claus is the Best Behavior Monitor for Kids
When Christmas starts to get closer, what is one problem that many parents have with their kids? Their kids are just wild! They are so excited about Santa Claus coming, they are excited about being out of school, and they may even be fussing with their siblings. While as a parent, you may feel as though you are at your wit’s end…remember that kids are just kids. They are excited about what they believe to be the best holiday of the year, they are sitting on pins and needles wondering what they are going to get for Christmas, and their routines are probably all messed up.
For parents, while Christmas is super rewarding, there are those times in which children really test your patience when they have the hype and energy of Christmas surrounding them. So, what can you do? The most common argument that many parents make during this time is that they tell their children that they have to be good or Santa Claus will not visit them on Christmas Eve. After all, the idea is that Santa Claus brings gifts to those kids who have been good for the year. And perhaps, more than a few parents play up this angle when the kids are getting hyped up because of Santa Claus.
The Evolution of Santa Claus as a Symbol of Good Behavior
Aside from making this ultimate “threat”, there are a few others things that you can do to ensure great behavior. And the majority of these are about giving your kids something to do that is going to help redirect their energy.
If you want to avoid using the Santa Claus threat of if you are not good, then he won’t be dropping presents off, consider some of these activities:
- Give the kids a day of cleaning to ensure that the house is ready for Santa Claus to drop by. Believe it or not, when you mention the reason for cleaning, you may be surprised at just how fast your kids start to work!
- Find some art activities that will take some time for your kids to finish. This will not only help to spur their creativity, but it gives them something to do. Pick a Christmas craft that they can later hang on the tree.
- Have a movie a day about Christmas, so you can at least get two hours that the kids are entertained and you can get other things completed.
- Let the kids help with decorating throughout the house or even help to wrap presents. This is often a task for older children, but it does help them get into the Christmas spirit as they help you.
- Encourage kids to go outside during the winter and have some winter sports or activities. Make sure they wrap up well, but being outside can help them to run off some of this excess energy and make life a bit easier.
Think back to when you were a kid, and you will know that the behavior issues seen by kids is not something that is new. It has been going on for centuries, hence the reason why so many people keep with the Santa Claus is watching idea!