Is it cute?

Look nobody wants their kids to be afraid of Santa. ESPECIALLY if you've queued for hours for that cute insta-worthy holiday photo. But the BEST way to support a child scared of anything is to take it slow and to trust that they know their bodies. Maybe just give Santa a wave, view him from a distance or give him a high five. There's always next year.

What we really don't want is to perpetuate that fear by forcing them to take a photo with the thing they're scared of. Imagine for yourself getting a forced photo with a tarantula, snake or flappy bird. Bleugh!

We need our children to be able to trust that when they are scared or need help, we (their most trusted adults) will come to the rescue and help them out of a situation. Not force them to stay in it.

We also want our children to learn how to set their own boundaries around bodily autonomy. Consent starts EARLY - and we want them to trust their bodies and be able to say 'no' when they feel uncomfortable, not blindly go along with something because someone else wants them to.

If you're tempted to say "meh - it's not that deep - they'll get over it" then think again. Every experience is a learning experience for a child and whilst their working memory might not recall that little incident in a months time, their brain and nervous system may well cling on to it. At the least they might learn "i can't trust my parent to take my feelings seriously on an unconditional basis".

Ways around it:
You get in the photo!
Stand in front of Santa with your child.
Get a cute photo and photoshop your cute child into the photo! The more badly photoshopped the better!

You've got this!

Watch the full reel here