I’m not sure why I cared about Gabe visiting Santa, probably since my mom has a wall of Santa photos from each year and it’s fun to look at Christmastime (from tiny newborn Ashley alone to my senior year of high school with four other siblings).
I told the woman with the camera and the iPad showing me photo options at the mall that I wasn’t set on getting photos – I just wanted to see if he liked Santa. And if he did, sure, let’s snap a few photos.
Gabe was absolutely terrified and I told the woman never mind, I didn’t want to force him to take a picture with Santa. The whole ordeal was pretty traumatic for both of us, since the woman insisted that I make my child sit on his lap and snapped a few terrible photos of Gabe crying. She wanted to take more, but I told her I was done. I felt like a terrible parent – forcing my child to sit in a lap of a stranger that he was terrified of just so I would have a photo to look at.
I spent $19 on two terrible photos and still had to edit them (see the original? Santa was so not that red in person. And Gabe’s pants look wet. And he is missing a shoe.) (Also, Santa was very nice despite how he looks slightly stoned in the photo.)
I’m pretty sure we won’t be doing this again any time soon. Anyway, the best part of Santa was always setting out cookies and hot cocoa for him on Christmas Eve, not telling him what I wanted for Christmas.
Or, I could always make my dad put on a Santa hat and beard on next year.
It seems silly now that we’re adults, how we make kids sit with a strange man and take pictures. I mean, I was always weary of it as a kid. I still haven’t decided if I’ll make my own kids do it, but I really want those pictures!
Take these statements with a grain of salt, given I’m Jewish – ha!
I never really got the whole Santa’s lap thing. Seems kind of weird that parents preach stranger danger to their kids and yet those same parents push their kids into a big stranger’s lap. Add to that the negative energy that comes along with going to a mall during the holidays to stand in a long line to go see a stranger? Ummm, yeah, not a tradition we’ll be adopting in our house (now that I married a Christian!).
Sorry you feel like a bad parent. Don’t feel bad. Just trust your instincts and use them to move forward! Happy holidays!
I certainly don’t think this makes you anywhere near a bad parent!
You are a great mom! That santa scares even me! ps. I tagged you! http://www.reinventingerin.com/2011/12/survey-says/
Poor little guy! On the bright side, this might give him something to giggle about when he’s older. I should ask my parents if they have any photos of me on Santa’s lap when I was that age…
We had a similar experience when we took Topher to Sears for portraits in November. I thought he’d be fine but he sobbed the entire time – we could only get a picture of him smiling when Nathan flipped him upside down and he started to giggle – so we flipped the picture over and VOILA! I felt like a horrible mom, though :( We didn’t bother with Santa this year – the Sears Portrait Studio was apparently torture enough. Maybe next year?
aw poor guy looks so confused & concerned. but still cute ,obviously.
Ugh, I hate when people pressure others to do things like this. I’m sorry it wasn’t a good experience for Gabe (or you)!
Oh, poor sweet Gabe! I’m probably a terrible person for loving sobby Santa pictures, but really, sobbing is a totally appropriate reaction if I think about it hard enough. I think Hannah will be old enough to be more freaked out next year, so we’re definitely planning on asking a family friend who has a suit to be the Santa rather than take her to the mall. We’ll see.
Also, you’re SO not a crappy parent.