I blame the Fingerlings

Advance warning: This blog may contain inappropriate material for young children in regards to a guy who lives in the North Pole. Please protect little eyes so that I don't ruin their lives too. And I don't want to hear from people who think they are too saintly to celebrate Santa so that they don't have to break their kids' hearts. Every parent has to break their kids hearts at some point. I just choose to do it twice - 1. Santa Clause and 2. "the talk" about where babies come from and how much their body is going to change. No one gets out of the second one.

Every year there is some ridiculous toy that comes out that no one can seem to find, has no purpose, and everyone wants. Last year it was the Hatchimals. This year it was the Fingerlings. My mother was able to find said Fingerlings - which are bizarre toys that attach to your fingers and make weird noises. They aren't small either and can actually cause your finger to capsize because of their heaviness.
Anyway, my kids got these from "Santa" this year. They thought they were cute at first but now that we are home neither child wants to claim them because of their dumbness (however, I keep finding them in my living room after I put them away. Maybe they really can walk?).

So I am putting the kids to bed and pick up this unicorn for the finger and I tell Kaitlynn, who is 11, that Grandma looked really hard to get this toy but if you don't want it then just tell me (so that I can black market sell it like all the other crazy moms).

So K thinks for a moment and says, "But Santa brought us these."

Me: Long pause and eyes narrow because I see that I have caught myself in a trap. I evaluate all my options and say, "I know. Grandma looked everywhere and couldn't find them but Santa was able to."

K: "My friends say that Santa isn't real."

Me: Oh really? What do you think about that?

K: I don't know. I think he is real. Is he real?

Me: Now this kid is 11. She has recently started becoming a woman, if you know what I mean, and I'm thinking "I guess tonight is the night". So I go sit on her bed and ask, "Do you really want to know?"

K: Yes!

Me: "Well..." and then I say something about how Santa is a magical thing for Christmas and as long as we give presents to others then we get to be Santa's helpers - but then Christmas is really about Christ and that He is the gift to us, etc. Basically all kinds of things to soften the blow. But as I am saying this unprepared speech, alligator tears are flowing down and she is so upset with me. She demands that I should have lied to her for longer.

K: "Why would you tell me? Is Rosie (the elf on the shelf-which is another ridiculous pain that parents have to deal with every single night) real? What? Oh my gosh I loved her. How could you?" etc.

This goes on for an hour, and I can see more things unravelling in her mind about the other traditions we have. I tried to bear my testimony that Christmas is really about Jesus - which we have emphasized for years - and that He really is a special gift but this did not console her. At one point Jeremy naively walks in and I tell him to sit down and close the door - like a black widow providing a trap to her unassuming victim. He asks why K is crying and I let her explain that I am a terrible person. That I told her the truth and she wished I had lied. At one point even declaring, "Grandma would have lied about it!" He tries to explain how great her Christmases were because of the "magic" and that we can still continue the tradition and that she can even help make Cody's Christmases magical still. He even explained that he was the youngest of 8 kids and that he never even had the chance to believe in Santa and that he has never even gotten a single gift from Santa!

This kid did not care. Her life is ruined, according to her. We should have lied for longer and I am pretty sure that tomorrow the first thing that Cody will hear is that Santa isn't real. To counter this, Jeremy went to warn Cody that if Kaitlynn tries to tell him anything tomorrow, it is a lie. Which is just terrible too.

I'm not even sure what to do now. I thought she was old enough - she could put clues together, etc. and was asking questions and I have felt that when my kids ask about things I will tell them the truth. But here we are. I seem to have stolen away a child's innocence and magical world. I also cleaned her room today, which she said that I "ruined". So now she can't even wake up and trip over her clothes and toys when she goes to get a tissue to wipe her disappointed eyes.

This may be part of the "joys" of parenting but I still blame the Fingerlings.