Lies to Children
This went straight onto the toilet wall...
I was listening to someone talking to my (almost) step-daughter the other day, wondering at all of her missing teeth and asking about the Tooth Fairy. The TOOTH FAIRY! The supernatural creature who comes into your room at night, takes your teeth and leaves money in return. Now I have no problem with the concept of fairies (see the Money Fairy blog entry) but I can’t help but be disturbed by the concept of a creature that wants my child’s teeth. What does she/they do with them? Anybody who has read (or only seen – heathens) Terry Pratchett’s Hogfather has a pretty good idea. But maybe there’s a thriving economy in children’s teeth in fairy land. We all know what rhino horns are used for. We should maybe be glad that the fairies aren’t just coming and taking teeth by force! Or maybe we should be preparing against the inevitable Tooth Recession of 2012. Our kids do eat more sugar than is good for them, after all.
Ho ho Damo.
But that’s not my point (it’s just what’s going to keep me up at night for the next couple of weeks). We create these incredibly complex belief systems for children. Of course, children are wonderfully gullible. They’ll believe anything, and it is an endless source of amusement to me.
Definitely not a Smurf.
They won’t, however, believe that vegetables taste good. But they believe in Santa. They believe in the Tooth Fairy, the Easter Bunny, Smurfs and Pokémon. And we encourage this belief.
I’ve gone from child to parent with Christmas these past couple of years co-habiting with my soon-to-be step-daughter. It changes everything! I ate three mince pies before I was satisfied with the “santa bite mark” I left on the pie left behind for him. Oh, the sacrifice! And my reindeer dental print in the carrot had to be seen to be believed. For Easter one year I created massive bunny footprints on the carpet.
A point. I have one. Ah yes, my point being that to maintain these beliefs for our credulous offspring (or step-offspring, or random children on the street) we lie to them. Unashamedly and with delighted malice (or is that just me?).
“You must go to bed early tonight. And straight to sleep. If you wake up, Father Christmas might not deliver the presents!” Translation: “Will you PLEASE go to sleep so we can get the pressies under the tree before midnight? We know you’re going to be up at 5am.”
“It’s time to write a Christmas letter to Santa. Write down everything you want. He’ll choose one or two things that he knows you want most!” Translation: “I have no idea what a 7 year old wants for Christmas. And I need a loophole in case the child asks for something that’s sold out or costing a bajillion dollars.”
HO HO HO?
Why do we do it? Pratchett’s answer, again from Hogfather, is this:
“All right,” said Susan. “I’m not stupid. You’re saying humans need… fantasies to make life bearable.”
REALLY? AS IF IT WAS SOME KIND OF PINK PILL? NO. HUMANS NEED FANTASY TO BE HUMAN. TO BE THE PLACE WHERE THE FALLING ANGEL MEETS THE RISING APE.
“Tooth fairies? Hogfathers? Little—”
YES. AS PRACTICE. YOU HAVE TO START OUT LEARNING TO BELIEVE THE LITTLE LIES.
“So we can believe the big ones?”
YES. JUSTICE. MERCY. DUTY. THAT SORT OF THING.
“They’re not the same at all!”
YOU THINK SO? THEN TAKE THE UNIVERSE AND GRIND IT DOWN TO THE FINEST POWDER AND SIEVE IT THROUGH THE FINEST SIEVE AND THEN SHOW ME ONE ATOM OF JUSTICE, ONE MOLECULE OF MERCY. AND YET—Death waved a hand. AND YET YOU ACT AS IF THERE IS SOME IDEAL ORDER IN THE WORLD, AS IF THERE IS SOME… SOME RIGHTNESS IN THE UNIVERSE BY WHICH IT MAY BE JUDGED.
“Yes, but people have got to believe that, or what’s the point—”
MY POINT EXACTLY.”
― Terry Pratchett, Hogfather
Calvin's dad explains science
Calvin’s dad would say, and I agree wholeheartedly, that it is just more fun to tell an imaginative lie than explain the boring truth. It’s a defence mechanism against the dreaded, all-powerful question “why?” Anybody who has ever dealt with a young child will know the question “why?” and the mind-melting implications of infinity it brings with it.
“It’s time to go, Chad,” I say.
“Why?”
“Because we have to get home.”
“Why?”
“Because your mother’s waiting for her dinner.”
“Why?”
“Because she’s hungry after a long day at work.”
“Why?”
“Because the human body burns food the same way cars burn petrol.”
“Why?”
“Because, um, look. Have you had the God talk yet?”
A far easier response goes as such:
What if I wasn't lying?
“It’s time to go, Chad,” I say.
“Why?”
“Because a velociraptor has escaped from the dinosaur park and if we don’t get out of here soon, he’ll burst in through the door and eat you, one leg at a time!”
“Oh. OK.”
See? Much more fun. Only slightly more therapy needed as an adult.
My grandfather used to say the best way to find out whether a cat was a boy or a girl was to pick it up by the tail and swing it. If the eyes popped out, then it was a boy. He then offered to demonstrate on our cat Pepsi, who he well knew was a boy cat. It is one of the ways Perry men interact with children. Tease them until they completely lose it.
Lies-to-children is a term I first read in Terry Pratchett’s Science of Discworld (written with Ian Stewart and Jack Cohen. It describes the simplification of reality to help children understand the reality beneath. Things like “The Domino Effect started the Vietnam War” and “the sky is blue because of light refraction” are lies-to-children. Lies to Children are more along the lines of “the dog has gone to live on a farm where it will be happier.” or “if you have any more ice-cream it will leak out of your eyeballs and freeze your brain.”
I know which I prefer.
Finding Damo 
OK. I actually know what the fairies do with little childrens’ teeth, and I have documented proof.
When I was a little girl, really enjoying that fine line between pleasure and pain that comes with a very wobbly tooth that you just can’t resist worrying at with your tongue, I was puzzled (much like your self as a grown man) as to what was going on with all these little teeth. I had yet to learn of the catacombs of Paris, Vietnam and so on but I did have a childish image that was something akin to that; a massive pile of little teeth, estranged from their owners, up there in cloudy heaven. At that age I was still a bit confused about the difference between Fairies and Angels.
Mum didn’t know either, so she suggested that I leave a letter for the tooth fairy asking her. Good tactic Mum. Thinking time. As it turned out there was more thinking time than Mum and I expected because I swallowed my loose tooth while I was eating a Brokoff Shortbread. But in due course another tooth was lost and I left the fairy a letter asking the question.
She answered. She answered in writing! On paper! In an unsophisticated hand that I later realised might have looked a bit like Dad’s.
She said.
“Dear Mary,
thank you for tooth. Thank you for your question. We use the teeth to make the stars shine.
Love,
The Tooth Fairy”
That’s a great response! I’ll remember that.
Anneliese was a bit freaked out by the thought of a tooth fairy invading her room while she was asleep so we leave it in a glass in the bathroom. Phew! A lot less chance of being sprung doing the old switch-a-roo!
Loved this blog btw! Had me giggling. 🙂
Thanks Lisa,
I’m intrigued by what freaks kids out. Young Miss O has to have a dressing gown draped over her bed head so the monsters don’t get her.
Then there’s the religion thing.. Arguably in the same boat as chocolate delivering bunnies and chimney descending big guys.
Really enjoyed reading this post and getting an insight into my good friend’s other half (hi Shereen!).
Wholeheartedly agree with Mr Pratchett’s ideas on why children need to believe in things that can’t be proved.
Angela.
good one damo, i prefer the calvin and hobbes style of imaginative explanation, if your going to fool your kids put some effort into it.