Crying Santa photos - What am I missing?

[Joker]

My Facebook seems to be full of people posting photos of their children crying with Santa. Many are posting how they cried last year but this year was a success. They seem to think it is so cute and funny, and I am just confused as to what is funny and cute. I've also seen several online groups of pictures of what are titled hilarious/funny Santa photos and they are mostly just little ones screaming or trying to get away.

 

I don't get what is funny. I am starting to feel sorry for the Santa who is at malls/stores, though.

[JustEm]

I don't think it's funny at all. I would never make my kid sit on santa's lap for a dumb picture if he was horrified of him.

[Moxie]

Santa pictures aren't part of our family culture so I don't get it either.

[Farrar]

I think it's just one of those things that is so acculturated that people think it's so normal that they do it.  The photo is a big memory thing in many families. I also would never have done that to my boys, but I also don't think it's like these babies are permanently scarred or anything, so whatever.

[Guest submarines]

I think it's just one of those things that is so acculturated that people think it's so normal that they do it.  The photo is a big memory thing in many families. I also would never have done that to my boys, but I also don't think it's like these babies are permanently scarred or anything, so whatever.

 

I think some might be quite scarred. I see this as a violation of trust.

 

Btw, I love your Story of the World peg dolls! What kind of paints did you use?

[Dandelion]

I don't think they're funny or cute either.   I just think they're sad.

[Farrar]

I think some might be quite scarred. I see this as a violation of trust.

 

Btw, I love your Story of the World peg dolls! What kind of paints did you use?

 

I guess I assume it's brief and not that different and experience from when Grandma holds the baby the first time or when you can't get to the crying toddler because you're busy using the toilet or holding boiling water or whatever.  I mean, some kids just cry all the time.  Have you ever seen that photo blog "Reasons Why My Son is Crying"?  I know some people get annoyed by it, which I get, but there's a lot of truth in there about how kids behave.

 

(And, in answer to your question, thanks - they're just regular craft paints - non-toxic - these have become such the rage that I've seen a ton of fun ones people have done.)

[Guest submarines]

I guess I assume it's brief and not that different and experience from when Grandma holds the baby the first time or when you can't get to the crying toddler because you're busy using the toilet or holding boiling water or whatever.  I mean, some kids just cry all the time.  Have you ever seen that photo blog "Reasons Why My Son is Crying"?  I know some people get annoyed by it, which I get, but there's a lot of truth in there about how kids behave.

 

(And, in answer to your question, thanks - they're just regular craft paints - non-toxic - these have become such the rage that I've seen a ton of fun ones people have done.)

 

I see them as quite different. A photo op with Santa is done purely for the parent's selfish desire to have the photo. I see no excuse for that, whereas Grandma is family, and when you can't get to a crying toddler, you can still talk to the toddler and reassure and explain the reason. Though personally I wouldn't insist even a Grandma holding a resisting child for her pleasure of holding a baby / toddler, because I don't think it is respectful to the child and teaches them all the wrong things.

 

Are the figures washable? Thanks. :-)

[Catwoman]

I don't think they're funny or cute either. I just think they're sad.

:iagree:

[Guest submarines]

I think this thread should have been part of the Unpopular Opinions thread :smilielol5:

[Crimson Wife]

My kids never cried about Santa. As babies and toddlers they just looked a bit dubious.

 

I do have a funny series of pictures from my youngest's birthday last year where she went from crying over her cupcake (not sure the reason why) to gleeful in the span of about a minute.

[Tammi K]

I think it's mean. It's bad enough to put your child in a situation where they are freaked out of their mind, but to show it off to people,...I think that's just weird. Why would you do it?

 

In a similar vane, I also don't get the 'Tell your kid you ate all of his Halloween candy just to watch him cry ' thing that Jimmy Kimmel does every year. It unfortunate that sometimes we have to do things to our kids that cause crying in the natural course of parenting. But, to deliberately instigate or to take joy in their tears just seems down right mean. 

[twoxcell]

 

In a similar vane, I also don't get the 'Tell your kid you ate all of his Halloween candy just to watch him cry ' thing that Jimmy Kimmel does every year. It unfortunate that sometimes we have to do things to our kids that cause crying in the natural course of parenting. But, to deliberately instigate or to take joy in their tears just seems down right mean.

I hated that segment on Jimmy Kimmel. I also don't get the Santa picture thing. If the kid wants to do it then fine, but if they don't why make them? :huh:

[marbel]

We did Santa pictures once or twice and my kids didn't cry.  We always saw crying, screaming, terrorized kids though.  I was always disgusted with the parents who stood there trying to get the kid to stop crying while the kid was begging to be rescued, or (worse) those who yelled at them afterward for ruining the photo.  We stopped by the time my oldest was four due to lack of interest in Santa and in our lack of desire to watch the drama.

[Cinder]

I think it's silly to do the picture thing if it makes the kid cry. We have no Santa pictures because the offer to let the child just talk to Santa produced a deer-in-the-headlights look on each one that was asked. They were afraid and it was unnecessary so we didn't do it.

[Wheres Toto]

I have Santa pictures from my oldest.  She liked Santa, wasn't afraid, was very used to guys with beards because her father has one. 

 

I only have one picture of my son with Santa and none with my youngest.  I don't think they would have been afraid (these kids were never afraid of anyone) but once my son was old enough to talk he would have argued with the guy if there was anything "off" about him - fake beard, not blue eyes, anything - would have resulted in quite the debate and he would...not....let.....it....go.  So, I just avoided the issue.  Avoiding super long lines at the mall, or standing out in the cold at our local Santa Lands had nothing to do with it. :001_cool:

[carriede]

Though personally I wouldn't insist even a Grandma holding a resisting child for her pleasure of holding a baby / toddler, because I don't think it is respectful to the child and teaches them all the wrong things.

I never thought of relating Santa pictures to "stranger" situations before. Both my kids were shy, and did NOT want anything to do with Grandma when they were aware infants/toddlers. But now that they're older, they LOVE seeing extended family and are not nervous at all.

 

FWIW, I've never made them sit with Santa. They MIGHT be okay with it this year... But I'd forgotten about it! And that's okay with me. :)

[Tangerine]

Another vote for sad.  I don't understand it either.

[celticmom]

Dd9 went through an extended period of being afraid of Santa(and pretty much any other character in costume) and this is the first year we have taken a Santa photo since her fear started. I could not imagine forcing her to take a Santa photo if she was terrified. It would also be rather hazardous to Santa especially with older children.

[musicianmom]

I would feel guilty about using my child's discomfort for my own amusement.

[dirty ethel rackham]

I think they are dumb.  When my oldest was a toddler, we took him to see Santa at a work party for families.  He seemed excited until we got close.  Then he seemed afraid and then refused to sit with him and get his picture taken.  We didn't push it.   I just didn't see a point after that.  I never took any of my other kids to Santa because they all were shy around strangers.  We would pass him at the mall and the kids would wave, but we never bothered to stand in that long line.  I

[Stacia]

I don't see the point of getting a Santa photo if your child does not want to go. I agree that the crying photos are not funny. (I think the Jimmy Kimmel thing about stealing the candy is meaner than the Santa photos, though.)

 

When dd was about 2, mil & I took my dd & my nephew (around 5 or 6 yo) to see Santa. Dd didn't cry, but did look pretty dubious & leaned as far away from Santa as she could get during the photo. Otoh, my nephew has never met a stranger & talked & talked & talked & talked & talked...; he was there so long the elves had to tell him to leave  :lol:  so other kids could meet Santa. 

 

Maybe a year later, I was at a mall w/ my dd, my sister, & my mom. My sis & I went to a store while my mom sat in the middle of the mall w/ dd (who was sitting in a stroller). Apparently, Santa was set up on the far side of the open section & saw my dd way over on the other side. When there was a break between kids, he walked over to give her a coloring book. My mom said that dd wouldn't speak to him (he wasn't being pushy, just said hello & brought her the coloring book) & put the coloring book in her lap. After he left, my mom said that dd picked up the coloring book by the corner, using only 2 fingers (the way you would pick up something really horrible & nasty) & then dropped it on the ground. :lol:

 

Ds was never interested in seeing Santa. When the kids were younger, I would ask them if they wanted to go see him, but they always said no, so we wouldn't go. (However, dd always loved going to see the Easter Bunny. I guess cute, furry animals are ok, even if they are oversized. I have an adorable pic of dd w/ a family friend when we went to see the Easter Bunny. Ds was not going to talk to the Easter Bunny, so he skipped the picture -- he rolled around on the floor with his blankie instead  :laugh:  -- while dd & our friend got their photos made.) That Easter Bunny photo is adorable. (And I have a cute one of my ds while we waited in line for him to *not* see the Easter Bunny.) :thumbup1:

[twoxcell]

I have never heard of Easter Bunny photos. ;)

[Tmhearn]

I definitely thought about posting this on the unpopular opinion thread. :-)

 

I am completely perplexed by people who do this. It just seems mean. You know your kid is extremely unhappy or scared, but somehow that's funny???

[Farrar]

I see the Santa photos and the Jimmy Kimmel thing as different.  The Jimmy Kimmel thing is just cruel.  Those kids are old enough to know you're being mean and playing a trick but not old enough to really find it funny or get back at you if that's part of the culture of your family or something - it's just disempowering and horrible.  The crying kids are typically less than 3 yo.  I do agree that it's not the best parenting thing ever, but I also think you don't know what the story was - the kid may have been freaked out for two seconds while you stand right there and then start laughing or vice versa.  Kids that age just cry unexpectedly all the time.  Is it really any worse than handing the kid to grandma for a picture and having the kid get freaked out?  And how many of those kids, if you sat them on the lap and they started to cry and you left without the picture you'd been talking about all day, would then start crying about that?  That's certainly how my boys would have handled it as 2 yos. :001_rolleyes:

[trinchick]

I confess I have a couple of crying Santa photos in the album. Like  a pp mentioned, the photo with Santa is a big tradition in my family. That said, I don't post the photos on Facebook or think they're a big joke. I know that I appreciate the Santa photos from when I was a little girl (in some of which I look pretty wigged out), so I hope my kids will appreciate them too someday.

 

I don't think I've scarred the kids; they will not need to seek therapy from the five-minute incident when they were two years old.

 

Given the tone of this thread, I shouldn't mention it, but I'll tell the story of taking DD to see the Easter Bunny when she was one. We dolled her up in a beautiful smocked dress, and she looked like an angel. But she DID NOT want to see that bunny. She ran down the mall, while I chased after her trying to bribe her with a visit to the toy store if she sat nicely and got her photo taken. After the torture session was over, the Easter Bunny pulled me aside and whispered in my ear that she was a distant cousin home on college break. I was mortified!!!! To compound that, I was taking a walk in my new (at the time) neighborhood and got to chatting with a neighbor. Easter came up, and she mentioned how she saw this crazy woman trying to get her kid to sit with the Easter Bunny. Then she paused and this look of realization dawned on her face, and she was like, "Wait, that was you, wasn't it?" Very awkward moment. I felt like such a jerk! But I do think it's funny now, and I see that I maybe overdid it. :-)

[happypamama]

I think it's mean. It's bad enough to put your child in a situation where they are freaked out of their mind, but to show it off to people,...I think that's just weird. Why would you do it?

 

In a similar vane, I also don't get the 'Tell your kid you ate all of his Halloween candy just to watch him cry ' thing that Jimmy Kimmel does every year. It unfortunate that sometimes we have to do things to our kids that cause crying in the natural course of parenting. But, to deliberately instigate or to take joy in their tears just seems down right mean.

I agree. I think it's terribly mean. Life has enough cruelties of its own -- why manufacture them, especially as the trusted parent?

 

I do find the outtakes from photo sessions to be hilarious, though, but only because I assume that the parent stopped to comfort the crying toddler or whatever, before trying again. I know I have btdt when trying to get a photo of several children; it can take a while. But my first reaction if my baby cried at Santa (IF I did Santa photos, which I don't) would be to pick up my baby and snuggle him (or her; I seem to have forgotten what girlbabies are like), not take a photo to show everyone.

 

I also think people are way too free in what they post on Facebook and such, pictures and otherwise. I have four boys -- it seems fairly obvious that sometimes potty-related stuff is going to come up, and sometimes the stuff kids say is funny -- but that stuff, if it gets related at all, gets related in person, not in print on the internet where it can embarrass them for all of eternity.

[GSOchristie]

I don't get it, either.  We don't do Santa, but my eldest saw a sign advertising Santa at a local shopping center.  They asked if they could see him.  When I explained the whole process to them, it sounded so weird.  "So there's a strange man dressed as Santa, he has a long fake white beard (my kids hate beards for some reason), you will sit on his lap and secretively tell him what you want for Christmas."  They were like, "Um, no, thanks."

[sewingmama]

I only have three photos of my kids with Santa. They are not really keen on him. I always ask when we pass by if they would like to see him and they usually say no. 4 yo is extremely afraid of strangers and new situations so I never ask him lol. The only times my kids have agreed to sit on Santas lap is when the Santa has a gift to give them for doing it LOL.

 

I don't really like Santa photos myself.... I've never seen the point of keeping a photo of my kids sitting on a strangers lap.

 

Yesterday we went to Christmas party and they had a Santa who was giving out chips. My kids were hungry so they actually asked to see him LOL. When Santa asked them what they wanted for Christmas DS 1 replied...I don't like toys and DD replied " I have all the toys I need thanks can you bring me a big box of candy". Santa didn't know what to do with that...he kept suggesting that surely they would like a new toy and my kids kept insisting they didn't need any LOL.

 

My 4yo really wanted the chips but refused to go anywhere near Santa...he threw himself on the floor and layed stone still. For some reason Santa thought that was hilarious and laughed and laughed and gave him chips for the entertainment value.

 

So picture the scene...DS and DD sitting on Santa's lap arguing with him that they don't need any toys and DS2 lying face down like a statue at his feet LOL.

 

Yeah it seems my kids are Santa impaired...they have no idea what the the societal conventions are when it comes to visiting him. I can do without the embarressment LOL.

[Jean in Newcastle]

I have an Easter Bunny story.  When my dd was little she was extremely shy and she was terrified of people in character suits.  (DisneyLand was a nightmare for her!)  Somehow her coping devise was to croak like a frog when they would get close.  To scare them away perhaps?  Anyway, we were at the mall and the Easter Bunny decided to come over and give her a piece of candy.  Dd was terrified and was going, "Ribbit, ribbit" and as the EB came closer and closer she got louder and louder and faster and faster "Ribbit, ribbit, ribbit, RIBBIT, RIBBIT!"  I just snatched the candy out of the poor guy's  hand, said thank you and high-tailed it out of there with dd in tow!  

[Aspasia]

I think it's weird, too! One of my friends even posted a video of his kids freaking out and being forced to sit on Santa's lap. It's very strange behavior to me. Dd6 is interested in visiting Santa at the mall, but she won't actually sit on his lap, just sits next to him and tells him very quietly what she wants. My other two aren't interested and there is no way I would force them.