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Never Tell a Four-Year-Old About Santa Claus Too Early
Lessons from a mother who just wanted to save up for a Lego set
Never tell a four-year-old about Santa Claus ahead of time.
Yesterday afternoon, my son and I were coming home from school. He was holding a Lego creation that looked like an airplane.
We’ve never bought our son Lego before: it’s very expensive in Argentina, and our financial situation isn’t exactly rosy. But a boy we know gave him a few pieces, and for a week now he hasn’t been parted from them for a second.
First he built a cube out of them, then something like a little house, and then an airplane. And the whole time, he held the set in his hands, even when he went to bed.
And so here we are, walking along an irrigation ditch. The ditches here are very deep: water runs through them to irrigate the trees, since rain is rare and the trees wouldn’t survive without it.
Down below, a stream of water rushes by.
I look away for just a couple of seconds, turn back, and see my son standing there, completely bewildered.
“What’s wrong?” I ask.
He says nothing.
