Do you think the tooth fairy and all her coworkers are harmful to children?

When children are small, there are so many things that they don't understand. And while it may seem like lying, it's really a way to teach them something. Teaching them that good behavior warrants reward isn't a bad thing.

There is no reason why giving them something positive to believe in, should be a bad thing. We all want something good to believe in, and I think that letting our children know there is good in the world is the best thing we can do.

When children are small, there are so many things that they don't understand. And while it may seem like lying, it's really a way to teach them something. Teaching them that good behavior warrants reward isn't a bad thing.

There is no reason why giving them something positive to believe in, should be a bad thing. We all want something good to believe in, and I think that letting our children know there is good in the world is the best thing we can do...

The beauty about childhood is that it involves living in a magical world where almost anything is still possible (in the eyes of children, at least). While many argue that allowing children to believe in mythical figures that do not actually exist borders on a lie, the fact remains that no child was ever truly harmed by stories and fairytales that enhanced their childhood lives. Children need the creativity and imagination to prosper and develop.

Believing in something, even if it does not exist, fosters good spirit, hope, and above all faith in something greater than reality. And who are we kidding? It is not only the children who enjoy fantasy and mythical creatures.

Movies and books about vampires, witches, aliens, mutants, genetically altered beings, and other monsters and fantastic creatures are typically top sellers because we as humans are greatly captivated by the unknown, the surreal. We like escaping reality every now and then and forget what we know to be true to open up to ideas that are oftentimes too complex to fathom. Do children experience disappointment after learning that there is in fact no tooth fairy or Santa Claus?Maybe.

Sure, many children will likely not be too happy about finding out the truth. But most will refuse to give up the dream in something mythical, and they will go on to pass the legends and stories of Santa & Co. On to their own children.

I think they're just stories to teach children good behavior and manners. Of course some of these characters also tend to teach religion. But there is nothing wrong with childhood fantasies as long as in the end the truth comes out.

This also teaches children how to handle dissapointment and loss.

I think the tooth fairy is up there with Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, and all the rest - pretty harmless childhood fantasies. I know we had all of them growing up, and neither my sister nor I are the worse for wear of them. Honestly, I think kids are more scarred by the daily actions of the adults that care for them than the fantasy of a magical being that brings them goodies until they are old enough to understand.

Most likely, they will perpetuate the illusion when they have kids. I didn't think I would when I had kids, but that was my former DINK self speaking - the great armchair parent with no kids who knows how to parent better than the parents. I now know much better and will be jumping on the fairyland band wagon with the best of them.It's fun to see their faces.

I would so love for some researcher to investigate if childhood fantasies like these have positive or negative effects on people (maybe some have - I'll really have to look this up). I suspect many people would say that these were magical times. Many people look nostalgically to the past as being better than the present.

Often these feelings are just reactions to the fact that the present is known so well; whereas the past is veiled in that we may choose to remember.

I'm not going to sit here and argue that they single-handedly ruin lives, but I think they do a lot more damage than everyone is willing to admit. Creativity is important, but I don't think lying to children and having them think about things that aren't true helps anyone. Since I was very young, I've resented mythical creatures.

I used to look at the mystical Lego sets in the stores when I was 6 or 7 years old and think about how the children that owned them must be morons. I know that's harsh, but it's actually what I thought at the time. I only wanted the Lego sets that featured real world machines.

I felt that the majority of my peers were wasting their time on things that wouldn't benefit them later. I get the reasons behind the tooth fairy, Santa and so on. However, why not have them dream about creative things they can actually achieve?

People who argue that mythical stories are filled with more creativity than the real world simply haven't spend enough time in the world.

I cant really gove you an answer,but what I can give you is a way to a solution, that is you have to find the anglde that you relate to or peaks your interest. A good paper is one that people get drawn into because it reaches them ln some way.As for me WW11 to me, I think of the holocaust and the effect it had on the survivors, their families and those who stood by and did nothing until it was too late.