If your child appeared to be really afraid of a Santa Claus in a department store, would you force them to sit on his lap anyway so you could get a picture?

Seems silly. Poor kids will probably develop an irrational fear of fictional characters, much like I did with caterpillars when I was a young lad.

“Why do they do that to their kids?”
Because they have not grown up themselves.

Lots of kids are afraid of Santa, the Easter bunny, & especially clowns. To force a child to get on their laps & have a picture taken is cruel.

Because people are stupid, and probably bacause they actually care more about the pic than about what the child wants.

Been there, done that, didn’t force the kid.

never.

Hell no. I wouldn’t even want my child to believe in Santa Claus!

I’ve got two kids, both were afraid of Santa, neither were forced to sit on his lap.
those who do are selfish, they just want the picture Why? I have no clue, who wants a picture of a screaming panic stricken child? (except maybe the child, later in life to bring to his/her therapist to get over fears of fictional characters)

no way

Nope! Why torture the kid? Or Santa?!!

I don’t agree with forcing them to do something that completely terrifies them. The term “bully” comes to mind.. – LB

Apparently I was afraid of Santa when I was little and as such, there isn’t a single picture of me on Santa’s lap because my mom didn’t make me.

I would be interested to hear from a parent who did make his/her screaming child get on Santa’s lap.

Um…force? Nope. But at 2 our son did cry (after begging us to talk to Santa) so he did stand next to Santa w/his grandma at his side. After the photo op, he was fine and asked if he could go back and tell Santa more…

He now looks forward to getting his list to Santa and keeps asking when Santa will arrive.

Funny how the people who do do stuff like that don’t throw in their two cents…

That’s really fucking stupid. A parent in that case would be treating the child as a play thing so they can show off the pictures later. How stupid…

@Val123 The photos are on my husband’s computer. If I could show them you’d see my son in Santa’s arms screaming in one photo and standing/smiling perfectly in the next.

As I said, he requested the visit with Santa. He even held Santa’s hand from the mall entrance all the way to the chair/photo area. We took him to “Santa’s arrival parade”!

@Facade We did send out both photos.

@SpatzieLover I wasn’t referring to situations like yours where the child wants to, it when the child doesn’t want to and they’re kicking and screaming. I can understand them. I’m scared of costumes too lol

@Facade I think all of a sudden the whole “I don’t know this guy & I’m on his lap” over took him. We only go to mall’s where Santa’s helper really looks like Santa (real beard, real belly ;)

@Facade Definitely total insensitivity on their part. Part of it though, is the parents know it’s just a guy in a suit. The parents know there is nothing to be afraid of. They just don’t have the empathy to realize that the child is really, truly afraid. The child doesn’t know everything is fine. The parents can’t put themselves in the child’s shoes.

@Val123 Exactly. We’ve seen people go crazy over their kids fear of the bunny or Santa…Seriously cRaZy!

Our son knows they are only helpers that have access to the “real” person’s phone # ;)

@SpatzieLover Yeah, like, “What’s wrong with you??!!” Doy.

I just remember being really shy before sitting on Santa’s lap the first time I did at a Christmas party at my dad’s office, but I did it eventually and he gave me an assortment of British candy and I remember being fascinated by all this candy I hadn’t seen before…lol

But of course I wouldn’t force them. Seems pretty basic to me that you wouldn’t.

There are quite a few pictures of me as a kid, sitting on half of Santa’s lap while my mom sat on the other half. It was the only way I’d get my picture taken with Santa.

We haven’t been to see Santa at the mall for years (since we no longer live near a mall), so only my daughter has had her picture taken on Santa’s lap. She was 9 months old the first time, and had no problem with the whole thing until I stepped back to let the photographer snap the picture. My daughter made that crumpled face that babies make when they are about to cry, but the photo rang this hand bell, got my daughter to look up, snapped the photo, and then I swooped in and picked her up before she even realized what happened. Those guys were pros. So, she looks like a deer caught in the headlights. :) We went back for two or three years after that, and she was always really excited and never got scared. I don’t think I could force a freaked out kid to sit on Santa’s lap. Why would I pay for a picture of my kid screaming?

Oh, I guess I’m one of “those people” who did it. I have photographic proof. lol I’m not ashamed. I have a ton of friends who are parents with kids the same age with the same exact Santa picture. I highly doubt any of us actually forced our children. Those pictures are snapped instantly, you don’t leave them alone with strangers for any extended period. I was right there for my son and so was my husband.

My kid is pretty much afraid of anything, it seems. He’s not a “sissy” but I’m not exactly sure where these fears came from. His fear of bugs may be my fault, he may have seen me react irrationally to a bug or two…but the Santa thing baffles me.
He was okay when he was an infant, he smiled
The next year, at almost 18 months old, he did not do so swell. We tried to get him to calm down, we sat with him…yes, we wanted that cute picture. We ended up with a hysterical one of him with the bus he was attached to at the time, and his sippy. I didn’t do it for long, but we did get a picture. I think it’s one thing to leave a kid up there for like 10–20 minutes while they cry and not do a damn thing, but if you let them know it’s okay and try to soothe them and the picture you get comes out like this picture of my son then you live with that and move on.

He’ll probably be too scared this year and that’s fine. We’ll try and if he says no and freaks out, then we’ll leave. No sweat off my back.
OH, I might make hubby dress up like Santa so we can get a picture…maybe that would help. and be hysterical

@casheroo LOL what a difference a year makes!

@casheroo Classic! Your husband dressed up would be funny…it’d be cute to put your mommy belly in a photo op, too ;)

I did find one on my computer of my son from last year

He likes to chat away with the ol’ guy about all the things he’d possibly like to find under the tree. We usually have to find a time to go when Santa has zero line dwellers, as waiting in line with nervous nellies makes our son intolerable ;)

No way!!! The parents that do are either very selfish and want the picture more than the comfort of their own child, or they are oblivious to how their child feels even when it’s obvious to others. I don’t know which is worse.

@SpatzieLover Omg, your son is so cute! He’s so nonchalant hanging out with Santa lol And we go when there’s no other people as well. I can’t stand the lines and the other spastic children lol

@casheroo Yes, he’s completely at ease if we allow him some hang out time. Like your son, my son is a bit reserved or stand offish to new situations. My husband and I are shy, and don’t want that repeated in our son, so we look for ways to bring draw him out of his shell. As a result he’ll now tell us how he wants and expects his visit to go.

“I’m drawing a card. After lunch we’ll go take it to Santa. Then you can take my picture. And, I’ll tell Santa what I like. I’m going to remind him that I am not a sports boy.”

Thanks for the pictures!!! I don’t have any of my kids with Santa. They said, “NO!” and that was the end of that! They’d watch all the other kids take their chances, tho!
My son was soooo cute when he cried! I had to give him this medicine that he just hated. It made him cry. So one time I got my camera out and snapped the shot just as he was all geared up. It’s sooo cute! I’m a bad mom. The kids tell everyone I pinched him to make him cry but I DIDN’T!!

I’m having Santa picture envy. They are so cute!

@MissAusten I don’t think Freud ever covered “Santa Picture Envy!”

My child wouldn’t be exposed to “Santa” unless it was entirely their interest and idea.

@hungryhungryhortence Yep. My kids didn’t wanna, didn’t have any interest, so it didn’t happen. They liked watching the other kids tho!

Here is a really creepy example of a parent forcing their kid into a picture the kid did not want to take. I’m fairly certain that I would be terrified if you asked me to get my picture taken with that thing!

@SuperMouse Oh brother!
@casheroo BTW, I’m not talking about a situation like yours, where you got in or out. I’m thinking of those videos they show that are supposed to be “Ha ha” and the kid is screaming bloody murder, and the people behind the camera are just filming away and laughing. That PISSES me off!

I would certainly not force her (partly because the photo would come out crap anyway) but I might try and explain to her that Santa is not dangerous, or generally discuss her fears with her. I’d generally talk about it if my daughter was afraid of anything.