Got an Elf? Why magical thinking isn’t a bad thing

Tomorrow, 6/12, is St. Nicholas Day. He’s the patron saint of children and the origins of the Santa. (He’s also patron saint of sailors, repentant thieves, children, brewers, unmarried, students but we will just talk children here, apologies to all repentant thieves.)

Is their an elf causing havoc in your home? Would it surprise you that we have one – given that I am always talking evidence and facts? In my home, we have fairies, elves – it’s all good because I have young children. Oddie showed up when my eldest was around 2 years old.)

Magical thinking is a normal part of child development, and studies show that this thinking and rich imagination is good for children long term. It starts to disappear around age 10 – though some aspects stay with many adults forever (like all those superstitions, from lucky socks to spilling salt to breaking mirrors).

Letting your child believe in some magic does no harm. When they are ready to outgrow it though, spend some time preparing for that conversation so you can reframe this belief in a number of positive ways, such as embracing ideals such as giving.

Anyway, how’s all this going to help you with the Elf? If you’re already running low on ideas, have your Elf pull out shoes tonight and maybe put something small in the shoe. In many parts of the world, children wake up to small treats in their shoe on St. Nicholas Day.

** #healthyholidays is a virtual advent calendar focusing on low/no cost evidence based ways to look after your family’s physical and mental health.