On Christmas morning 2015, I jumped out of my bed. I screamed at my sister to wake up and we both went into the living room where my mom was already sitting down. After we opened our gifts, my mom sat down near me.¨I think it's finally time for you to know the truth. Santa isn't real. I gave you all those gifts.” My confusion quickly turned into anger. She always told me to never lie, but she had been lying to me all those years. 

Conversations that you have with your children shape their future. The words that you say to them will follow them even throughout adulthood and to their children as well. A lot of parents try to take the more popular approach when talking to their kids, though. Most parents lead children on by lying about world famous traditions like Santa Claus until eventually telling them the truth. I believe that parents should be more mindful when talking to their children, since they are considerably less emotional mature.  

Studies have shown that lying to your children without recognizing their feelings can affect them in the long run. This can affect your relationship with your child for longer than you think. Children have less emotional maturity as they have been on this Earth for a shorter time and have not yet begun to regulate their emotions very well. It's better to be aware of children's feelings even with a conversation that might feel insignificant to you because it could mean a lot for them. 

In the Op-Ed ¨There Are Better Ways to Talk With Your Kids About Santa¨, developmental psychologists Candace Millis and Thalia R. Goldstein surveyed children and adults and asked them how they felt when they discovered the truth about Santa. Many of them said that they ¨were more likely to feel negative emotions around it¨ when they discovered at later ages such as 11 or 12. It gets more difficult to talk about Santa the older they are since they are more mature and know more about the world. They also discovered that the negative feelings lasted up to more than a year. One of the people they surveyed even said, ¨¨Ï felt very betrayed by my parents. I didn't understand how they taught us not to lie, but they have been doing it for all these years. I thought they were hypocrites and I was very angry about that.¨¨ It is put into us at a young age that we should never be dishonest, but parents who say that are hypocrites since they lie all the time. 

Even if the conversation may seem unimportant, a single sentence can change your child's life. Parents should respect their children's questions and listen to them. They should also remember that it's ok to have holiday traditions, but be mindful of how you approach the subject. 

Kel Prasad is a student at Luther Burbank who aspires to be a lawyer. She was born and raised in Sacramento, CA.