How Much "Power" Does Santa Have in Your House?

gosh i try and threaten my daughter and since she was 3 she caught on...she used to pretend call santa and tell on my when she was 3 and when i asked what she was doing she said oh well this is what you do so why cant i! Little smart A** lol, she calls and "tells on her pop pop" every time she visits....she does care about if i say i'm going to call and reporty that shes not been so well behaved although its too far away for her to care about that much

Oh, my husband pulls the "I'm going to call Santa!" business on our daughter when she's acting up and it drives me crazy. I've asked him not to do it, but sometimes he uses it when he's at his wit's end.

Nah, Santa isn't keeping track of behavior...but mama is. Santa is unconditionally selfless and jolly. Mama requires give and take (ex: clean up your room so that we can make ornaments / Show me that you are able to listen well and we'll hang up lights / decorate the tree / have some hot cocoa).

My kids know that I have to approve all gifts Santa brings. If I don't approve then Santa won't bring the gift. Santa and I keep in touch by email and the kids know this.

I use Santa starting in October to try to get good behavior! And it works! My boys are 3 and 4 so they know when they are being bad. I simply tell them, Santa might be watching and he's working on his list (of good boys and girls) now. They are so eager to be on the good list it usually helps right away. I have never done this while angry though - it's not really a threat, just a reminder. I also use it when they're being good, reminding them "I bet Santa noticed that too!" If they hit each other or some other real infraction of the rules, they lose a song at bedtime for that night - Santa does not even come into the picture. We have an Elf on the Shelf but I didn't put much effort into making him viable. He has since been beheaded while being used as a ball...

Our daughter is 6 and very how do I say...logical. She has already asked "do you think Santa is real?"...I always said I would tell her the truth when she asks if I'm Santa...but I wasn't prepared for is he real...so I went with what answer a question with a question..."what do you think?"...she said "I think he's real"...

Our little guy...well he's my "free spirit"...he will probably believe long after the truth has come out...but I still "believe" in the spirit and hope.

ok...yes he still has some "pull" in our house. I have used the "santa is watching you"...thought about the Elf on the Shelf just because I can't beleive I never thought of it...not for keeping the good but for the excitement of "where is he now". But I'm not ready to spend $30...

Santa has not always brought what was #1 on their list...Santa makes a determination based on needs. Last year she wanted a live puppy, so instead she got one of those "puppies animatrontic puppies"...sits on the shelf and hardly ever gets played with.

ETA: I don't say you wont' get presents...I always say "Oh Santa called to check and see if you are being good, should I let him know what you've been doing?"

We have an 11yr old who is trying to "figure it out" and a 6 yr old who very much looks forward to Santa. It's just an 'event' around here. It's well known that Santa may or may not bring what is on the list. We don't invoke the naughty or nice deal.

Santa isn't a threat. She knows in theory that she has to be good for him but she has to be good anyway. Very rarely will we bring up Santa and being nice vs naughty. There are no elves tracking her behavior. Santa brings something interesting or fun, but maybe not the biggest ticket item on the list. Wishlists, even for Santa, are still wishes. You ask for gifts, you don't demand them.

My mom was known to put coal or rocks in our stockings at the bottom if she thought we deserved it. We always got something else, but the rocks were a caution.

Santa brings the stocking gifts, which consists of whatever fits in there unwrapped. Things like movies, books, small toys & candy.

Santa doesn't take away gifts for bad behavior, however Mommy & Daddy certainly can. ;)

Santa is Mommy's present helper in our house. He flies all around the world bringing presents (probably one each, hasn't been decided this year). But he doesn't check up on behavior or get used as the bad guy if my kids are misbehaving.

They know that I'm the one with the real power! =)

Hi H., we did the whole Santa thing when our kids were growing, and we did tell them Santa knows when they are good, we didn't use the word bad withn our children, and no Santa never took presents away. Santa is a fun seasonal belief for children, not someone to threaten children about, And foer us, my husband once tld me when our children were little that believing in Santa helps them believe in God when they are older, I love that concept. J.